Living a Life in the Red: No Energy?

The answer is so jolly simple, a bit 'boring' (don't yawn)...yet overlooked, and 67% of us don't prioritise this ONE DAILY NECESSITY!SLEEP!

Are you tired of hearing about this?

BUT, are you also sick and tired of being 'sick and tired'?

Then CATCH A WAKE UP!

Sleep is MORE important than WHAT YOU EAT on a daily basis for your body to RECOVER & REPAIR each night—so that you can be your BEST SELF the next day.

I only started prioritizing sleep when I understood 'sleep cycles' and how to wake up feeling REFRESHED.

Scientists divide sleep into two major types:

1. REM (rapid eye movement) or dreaming sleep, and
2. Non-REM or deep sleep.

Both are crucial for energy!

Let's talk about the 3 stages of 'non-REM sleep':

• Light sleep (where 50% of your total sleep time is spent)
• Deeper sleep (where your heart rate and body temperature drop)
• Deep sleep/slow wave sleep (THE GOLDEN TICKET TO ENERGY!)

This last stage is when your body truly renews and repairs itself. It plays the greatest role in energy. A mere 10% reduction in sleep time can reduce your mental performance by up to 30% ... OUCH !!!

In deep sleep, the pituitary gland releases growth hormone that stimulates tissue growth and muscle repair. Researchers have also detected increased blood levels of substances that activate your immune system—in fact, just one night of poor sleep can reduce immune function by 70%! A phenomenal STAT...this should help you to prioritise sleep, especially in the Souther Hemisphere, where we are rolling into Winter.

What about REM (rapid eye movement) or dreaming sleep?

REM sleep helps restore your mind, perhaps in part by helping clear out irrelevant information. Our brains process information overnight. Students who got a good night's sleep after seeing a complex math problem were 3x more likely to solve it compared to those asked to solve the problem immediately. We often say colloquially: "sleep on it"—and science backs this up!

Studies from Harvard Medical School and elsewhere have found that REM sleep facilitates learning and memory. People tested on how well they had learned a new task improved their scores by up to 40% after a good night's sleep. If they were prevented from having REM sleep, the improvements were completely lost.

Looking forward to catching some quality zzz's this weekend? Your future Friday self will thank you! 👇💤

I have developed an allergy to stock photos so I use my own 'happy snappy' photos (off an ancient iPhone). The pic here is from last week Monday, after I had delivered 4 Presentations (1 online + 3 racing around Jozi). My hubby delivered my supper to me in an orange bowl on the couch.

I was so tired that the walk to the bedroom was feeling like a marathon.

Ever felt that way?

DO NOT fall asleep in front of the TV: that is NOT quality sleep, and you will NOT WAKE UP REFRESHED!