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buretaphysio
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SLEEP   If there is one thing I could say to our community right now in order to stay or get healthy is to prioritise SLEEP. The World Health Organisation deems sleep the foundational of the three pillars of health, with diet and exercise being the other two. Studies show that between a third and two thirds of the Western World do not get enough hours of sleep per night. Sleep has a significant impact on the reduction of both illness and injury and is one of the few interventions that can help prevent both contact and non-contact injuries. Performance research shows us that adequate sleep improves our accuracy, sprint and reaction times as well as the perception of strength and effort. It also has a huge impact on mental health. The brain recalibrates during sleep. It is no surprise then to find out that mood swings, paranoia, depression, anxiety and dementia are all linked to poor sleep.   Now back to current times and COVID 19 where prioritizing sleep is important in strengthening our immune system in order to fight off illness particularly when our body is under stress which currently is more likely to be mental than physical but the body doesn't have the ability to alter its responses to this.  In order to ensure you have a good night's sleep both sleep rhythm and sleep drive is needed. Sleep drive is the need for sleep ie how tired you are. This can be challenging in the current situation if you aren't getting as much physical exertion into your day as normal but for many this drive is increased simply from the mental stress of the lockdown and the uncertainties surrounding this. Sleep rhythm is ensuring you have regular sleep and wake times. This is why when you have a night out or stay up late to watch that extra movie even though you feel exhausted you don't sleep as well. In an ideal world the majority of adults get around 7.5 hours sleep as a minimum as each sleep cycle is approximately 90 minutes and we need 5 of them for a full night's sleep. This does vary with age. Our children should be getting more as their requirements are greater, given they are growing and the elderly may need less. Genetics play a part. Early birds or lions make up only 15% of the population. Usually those that are list makers, many CEO's and those in management make up the large proportion of this group. They are asleep early and up early. Wolves or night owls on the other hand are categorised as generally being creative personalities, high risk takers, often introverted even if they are extroverted in public life i.e. actors musicians authors. Ideally sleep to your rhythm, this gives you the best chance to achieve a good night's sleep.     But its not all about quantity. Sleep is about quantity and quality. Poor sleep is linked with a large number of physical conditions and diseases including increased blood pressure, heart disease, reduced immune function, diabetes, ncreased intensity of pain when pain is felt, weight gain, poor decision making, lower testosterone and lower libido in females. Most likely it is the relationship between sleep and decision making and reaction times that are likely where the link to injury prevention comes in - more sleep better reaction time and decision making.   Food, Vitamins and sleep Metabolism is affected negatively by sleep deprivation as metabolism slows down. Increased stress results in increased cortisol release which results in increased appetite BUT slower metabolism and therefore fat deposition. We are also more likely to overeat when we are sleep deprived as leptin decreases and this is hormone that tells us we are full.   People who are sleep deprived lack vitamin C and Selenium which affects immune function. Things you can try and do to help with this are to put citrus in your water and eat mushrooms or Brazil nuts to boost these vitamins. B vitamins are essential for good sleep and serotonin levels so eat food rich in B vitamins such as broccoli. Magnesium helps boost the quality of sleep as it helps regulate your circadian rhythm.. Ensure meals and snacks contain greens, nuts, brown rice and other grains.Bananas are loaded with magnesium so are awesome for sleep. A lack of vitamin D can cause poor sleep quality. Getting out and about in the sunshine particularly at this time of the year when the sun isn't too hot(whilst staying within your bubble!) is the most useful way of ensuring adequate Vitamin D. Salmon is one of the best foods for sleep as it helps melatonin production. For those that suffer with restless legs - ensure iron intake is sufficient as this is often a cause or part of the picture eat plenty of spinach, red meat and other iron sources at the same time as consuming vitamin C (ie orange juice) as this increases your iron absorption. Ensure you don't consume tea or coffee near these meals as these both affect your body's ability to absorb iron.   Supplements and sleep Melatonin is not good for insomnia; it is for jet lag. It affects the rhythm. It's a sleep regulator not initiator so really useful for shifting sleep rhythm where appropriate. A lack of melatonin causes shallow sleep, insomnia or regular awakenings so is the other time where it is useful. 1-1.5mg is ideal amount - many are taking far too much/too higher dose. It takes 90 minutes to work so needs to be taken 90 minutes before sleep or blood plasma levels aren't sufficient to work. Take for right reason, at right time in right amount!   On return to normal life If post lockdown you continue to struggle with sleep go see your GP for an assessment of this. You may require some blood tests to check your levels of Vitamin D, melatonin, iron and magnesium. If this doesn't give you any answers we can help. Learning strategies to deal with poor sleep can be really useful and one of the most effective with this is correct breathing patterns and breathing exercises to ensure your parasympathetic nervous system is engaged and your body and mind is therefore able to wind down and sleep.     For those who struggle with sleep if you are going to stress about sleep and your lack of it you aren't likely to get a good night's sleep so it's somewhat of a "catch 22". So where do you start? Number 1 - PRIORITISE SLEEP - do you really need to watch that movie? Watch one more episode on tv? Play around on your phone when it's just before bed time? Know that one nights poor sleep won't cause you significant issues in the long term. Changing your sleep patterns is a process like any other aspect of improving health and wellness. It takes a plan and the implementation of it. Sleep hygiene is where to start! If you have any questions on this please send us an email on reception@buretaphysio.co.nz or give us a call on 5761860.   IN THE MEANTIME SORT OUT TONIGHTS PLAN!!