Can't sleep? Good luck with your fitness plan!!! (Or just read this and fix your problem)

Did you know that most of your natural growth hormone is released during sleep?

About one hour after you fall asleep, as you enter stage 3 sleep, your pituitary gland begins to release human growth hormone (GH). This process is essential, not just for muscle building, but for tissue repair and to combat the damages imposed by stress, physical trauma, and inflammation.

It's no secret that people who supplement GH artificially report sensations of renewed strength, better libido, and physical benefits such as improved muscle tone, stronger immune systems and smoother skin. However, maximizing your own GH output can do immeasurable good to your body and sense of well-being. So how can we trigger the maximum benefits of GH?

The first step is to make sure your sleep is on point. I've always found it intriguing that no one ever attempted to teach me how to sleep. So, I did what any enterprising mind would do: I taught myself! And you know what? It wasn't that intuitive so now I will teach you.

Many people who suffer from insomnia, whether it is a diagnosed chronic condition or just a temporary affliction, fail to identify the cause of their sleeplessness. I will quickly outline the four factors that must be managed to perfect your sleep technique. After all, by the end of this article, I hope I can convince you that sleep is, in fact, a SKILL. 1. Environment:

Studies show that most people sleep better in colder rooms with the option of having a heavy blanket. I, on the other hand, suffer from sinus issues if the air is too cold. To mitigate that, I bought a winter "buff" from amazon and use it as a sort of face mask. I fold it over my eyes and top of my nose. This keeps my airway unobstructed but my sinuses warm. On top of that it gives me the added benefit of keeping my eyes shielded from light. Besides temperature, we also need to feel safe. Nothing beats living in a good neighborhood- perhaps in a gated community. But many also feel safer with a person, or a pet, in the room with them. On top of that, smooth sounds resembling white noise also elicit a sensation of safety. Try a noise generator that simulates the sound of crashing waves. Another option would be a small fan. Also, try telling Alexa to play ocean sounds if you own an Echo device. It is also important to take into account any light sources in the room- including the nearest window and whether or not the morning sun will affect you while you sleep. Darkness is good since your brain requires a sort of disconnection from stimuli to keep you asleep. Invest in blackout curtains and put opaque tape over any small LED light sources, like power lights on electronic equipment. Another tip is to take care in choosing your bedding. Having nice Egyptian cotton sheets is pleasant, but are you baking yourself under a heavy, down comforter? If you have trouble regulating your temperature, try drinking more water and kicking one leg out from under the bedding. That leg can work as a sort of heat sink as your blood circulates, and will keep you from feeling too hot. Getting too cold? Just put your leg back under the sheets! I know I have done this instinctively during my sleep so try it out! Dealing with cold can be rough too. Besides using a buff or head sock to shield the sinuses, one needs to consider covering the other part of the body which radiates a large portion of your heat: Your feet. Socks not only make you warmer; they help you feel cozy. I am not ashamed to say that in the winter I like to wear large, tube socks to keep my feet warm. My sleep matters more than your opinion of me, okay?

2. Nutrition:

One can completely ruin sleep by eating the wrong thing before going to bed. Just as easily, sleep can be sabotaged by not eating anything at all. You know that advice where someone, somewhere said to stop eating by 7pm? Yeah, that one is BS. You can- AND SHOULD eat much closer to bed time if your goal is good, restful sleep. This is because eating is the only healthy way for you to elevate your blood sugar. After the initial spike in blood sugar, after every meal, your body will undergo processes that will slowly (or rapidly, depending on what's eaten) taper-off your blood sugar until it drops below a homeostatic ideal. Once your body is hypoglycemic, it needs to find a way to elevate the sugar levels again. This can either happen by eating, or by a process called gluconeogenesis. In this process, the body releases catabolic hormones (cortisol) and adrenaline. The hormones will eat away at proteins in your body in an effort to elevate your blood sugar to a normal level. The release of adrenaline, however, will give you energy and alertness, which is not compatible with good sleep. In other words, before bed, eat something or you will eat yourself and be wide awake. A perfect meal plan takes sleep into account. If you don't know what to eat to sleep better, and you're having trouble gaining muscle and losing fat, hire a personal trainer and/or nutritionist who understands the anabolic and catabolic processes as they relate to sleep. But in the meantime, here's a tip: Wine before bed is a TERRIBLE idea if you have trouble sleeping!

3. Exercise:

Pushing your body into overload using resistance training aids tremendously in getting restful sleep. Imagine a cart stuck in the mud. If the cart is sleep, then nutrition is the man that pushes it and exercise is the horse that pulls it. There is no better sensation than feeling physically tired and surrendering to a cozy bed and a good, long night of sleep. If you're not comfortable moving heavy weights, at least break a sweat on four different days each week. You may find that on the days that you don't work out you won't rest as well. But if four days of exercise is good, then shouldn't seven days of exercise be even better?

No. Overtraining is a thing. If you stress your body too much, your hormone production will take a serious toll. Someone who sleeps well and frequently (I'm a fan of naps for athletic people) will be more capable of sustaining more frequency in an exercise program. However, the drawbacks of overtraining can be severe so it's best to plan rest days into your fitness schedule.

4. The Mind...

This is a deep, deep topic. Without getting into it too much here, allow me to mention that I created my own theoretical understanding of how the brain and mind behave during sleep and immediately before it. I have successfully coached many people on how to mentally prepare for sleep. It really boils down to realizing that your brain requires you to disengage from reality so it may have a chance to do some housekeeping in your noggin. The ONLY way you can deliberately stop allowing your mental resources from engaging with reality is to redistribute those cognitive assets into tasks that involve creativity. Many people find that meditation helps, but in my experience, people fall asleep much faster using my techniques than by mindfulness and meditation. In fact, if done correctly, my creative sleep techniques will get most people to fall asleep in less than two minutes. I use this method during turbulent flights so I wake up rested at my destination.

The skill of sleeping can be trained. Once you excel at it, you will have a new edge on every facet of your life. If you want to know more about my Sleep Brain-Mind Barrier theory, watch my video in the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI-oHA9bNss&t=502s

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PJ Hradilek is a veteran personal trainer based out of Westlake Village in sunny southern California. If you have trouble sleeping, gaining muscle, healing from exercise, or if you have fitness related questions, email PJ at fitnessbrainiac@gmail.com or visit his Prefer profile at: https://prefer.com/pj-hradilek