Health and Fitness

Just 30 minutes 3 times or more a week can be enough to deepen your sleep. As we get older sleep can be interrupted more easily for hundreds of reasons. One reason may simply be a lack of exercise!

A 30 minute walk each day provides fresh air and exercise. On cold and rainy days you can walk at a gym or the mall.

To keep us on track, we will use our body's Circadian Cycle as a guide to help us understand the best time to exercise and the importance of sleep during certain hours.

Circadian, which means "around the day" in Latin, is our internal '24 hour' clock that follows the rhythm of the day wherever you live. Keep in mind that the Circadian Rhythm doesn't change if you work a night shift. You will just be working against the cycle.

It has a lot to do with what type of recovery takes place at what hours through the night. From 10pm to 2am our body is concentrating on repairing muscle tissue, getting rid of foreign bodies that could lead to disease and clearing toxins from the cells. From 2am until 6am the body is focused on mental health. This is where we get our deepest sleep.

There is also a 12 hour hormonal cycle which balances our wake hormones with our rest hormones. Starting at 6am Cortisol, our wake and action hormone, starts to kick in and is at its highest levels at high noon. By 6pm it is at its lowest point again and Melatonin starts to increase and this is where the relaxing down process takes place. You can feel the lessening of Cortisol around 3pm, Siesta time! This is the time many grab quick carbs and energy drinks to keep going.

Between 6pm and 9pm a large amount of people are at the gym; contributing to more Cortisol production and pumping more quick energy drinks. There are those who are drinking plain water, but remember you are still contributing to the stress hormone by creating action in those hours and Melatonin must step aside. The more stimulation you bring in after the 3pm hour, the more stress hormones you produce and if they build-up in the system they will interfere with the sleep hormone production and that could disrupt sleep as well.

A good example of living out this natural cycle could be witnessed in the days before we had electric lighting. We were up between 4-6am with the sun and worked physically until 4pm. Then we focused on smaller things and relaxing. Had an early dinner and sat by the fire with our families before we retired between 7 and 9pm (depending on the time of year and the amount of daylight). We put in good long days and we honored the circadian cycle and the rhythms of nature.

So if you are deprived of sleep through any of this cycle, you can see what type of effects those disruptions may be having on you, whether physically, mentally or both.

Suggestions:
Make it a point to get 30 minutes of fresh air and exercise at least 3 times a week. Keep away from energy drinks, caffeine sources and intense physical activity after 3pm. Avoid TV and the computer after 8pm if possible. Record your late shows to watch at another time and get to the rest of your e-mails first thing in the morning or at your peak mental clarity time of the day. Give yourself a half hour to wind down before you turn in at night. Make sure you are taking a good multivitamin and mineral source. Valerian root, a natural herb, can help bring deeper sleep when needed. Take 1 to 2 hours before bed.

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Kathleen Pleasants is a National Health & Life Coach. She has been practicing massage and passing on its benefits since 1988. She is a certified personal trainer, neuromuscular therapist, nutritional advisor, teacher and a mother of three. She offers certification courses and workshops at various locations. She can be reached at 215-885-4200 or http://www.clearlyunique.net