BalanceOctober2016 - 31
the
So, getting good quality sleep is central to
heightened performance and being the best
version of yourself.
These days, with 24/7 living and the
march of technology, we all need to rethink
our approach to sleep, both mentally and
physically. Recovering from a poor night's
sleep is linked to a negative mindset, which
leads to anxiety and depression.
THE MODER N STRUGGLE
Having worked with elite athletes for more
than 16 years, I have developed a profiling tool
focused on maximising sleep recovery. Called
the R90 Technique, its principle purpose is to
educate and raise awareness of what I believe
are the seven key sleep recovery indicators
(KSRIs). The most important of these is
becoming more aware of the impact circadian
rhythms (put simply, our body clocks) have
on us; and knowing our chronotype, which
prevents us from adopting routines that are
counterproductive to our natural recovery.
In zoology, the word chronotype refers to
the sleep timings and regular activities of an
animal. Nocturnal animals such as moles and
bats are active at night, for instance. Humans
are diurnal - active in the day, asleep at night.
However, our chronotype also determines
whether we are morning-active or nightactive, so the concept of the owl and the lark
is far from a myth. (See below to work out
your chronotype.)
It's worth noting that our ancestors would
have woken naturally at sunrise, as the light
stimulates the brain's pineal gland and
guide
RISE
'N'
SHINE
The first 90
minutes of your
day should not
be rushed
CO NTRO L LE D
DAY LI G H T
WA K E
+
H Y D RATE
+
FUEL UP
+
S I M PL E
D O M E STI C
M E NTA L
CH A L LE NG E S
+
Use hypoallergenic,
lightweight, microfibre
bedding rather than
natural-filled products
to limit the build up of
allergens and bacteria.
YOUR
BEST TIME
OF DAY
SOME
EX E RCI S E
+
E M PTY
BOW E L A ND
BLA D D E R
what's your
chronotype?
DELAYED
TECH START
UP
=
GOOD
MORNING
If you had no commitments
for the day ahead and were free to
plan your own agenda, what time
would you choose to wake up? Would
you plan key activities for the
morning, afternoon or evening?
produces serotonin, the wakeful hormone. In
contrast, when darkness falls, melatonin is
triggered, putting the body into a sleep state.
The invention of the lightbulb changed that.
Our predecessors were probably polyphasic
- they slept for shorter periods of time
but more often than we do - as opposed
to monophasic, trying to get their sleep in
one block at night, as most of us do today.
The Spanish, on the other hand, are still
polyphasic - they'll stay up late, sleep for a
shorter time at night but then have a siesta in
the afternoon, which takes the pressure off the
24/7 nature of modern life. It goes to suggest
that in the UK we may have
got it wrong.
CYCLE S,
NOT HOURS
+
BALANCE ADVICE
STEP AWAY FROM WHAT
YOU'RE DOING EVERY
90 MINUTES, EVEN IF IT'S
JUST FOR A SHORT TIME
- ZONING OUT IS AS
GOOD AS HAVING A NAP
Moving from warm to cool is
In any 24-hour
your natural way to enter a
period, we should
sleep state, recreating the
allocate around a
process of the sun rising
third of that time (eight
and setting.
hours) to sleep. However,
this is not realistic for
everyone and some can survive on a lot less.
So, rather than just sleeping at night and
aiming for eight hours, I advise on planning
your sleep in 90-minute cycles, which gives you
a greater sense of control.
Ninety minutes is used because the body's
natural sleep phases of non-REM (rapid eye
movement) and REM sleep - the stage in which
we dream - are thought to last 90 minutes.
Therefore, target either five cycles (7.5
hours) or four (six hours) in every 24 hours.
This then becomes 35 or 28 cycles over seven
days. So you count cycles rather than hours.
If you find your sleep is interrupted, whether
AMer
S L E E P 9PM -11PM
WA K E 5A M -7A M
NATU RA L WA K E
Love mornings and breakfast.
Less daytime fatigue.
October BALANCE
BALANCE
ADVICE
PMer
S L E EP 1 2P M-3AM
WA K E 9AM-1 1 AM
A LA R M WAK E
Love evenings and dinner.
Daytime nappers.
31
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BalanceOctober2016
BalanceOctober2016 - 1
BalanceOctober2016 - 2
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