We live in a fast-paced, achievement-oriented culture. People brag about how little sleep they need, saying, “no pain, no gain.” Sleep is second only to breathing in its importance to maintaining long-term good health. We take our health for granted until we lose it, and then we give our best hours of our days regaining it. So, let’s change howwe think of sleep. It’s a time for the brain and body to recover. The best performers focus on recovery just as much as they do on the actual active aspects of training and performance! The sleep you get each night is hopefully divided into 5 stages and should deepen as you work through these cycles. Both quality and quantity are important in analyzing your sleep, and most experts on sleep recommend between 7-8 hours daily. You can’t accrue sleep debt and catch up on the weekend; it’s still a lost recovery opportunity. THE ARCHITECTU THE STAGES OF GOOD SLEEP During the 7-8 hours of sleep you recover physically in the first half and mentally in the second half. Here are the stages and what happens: Stage 1: Sleep Onset The better routine you have, the better this stage will unfold for you in the evening. This is when you first go ANTI-ANXIETY According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States. Aside from traditional treatments, nutrition plays a very important part in your overall health. The mind/body/food connection is so important that a growing field is developing called nutritional psychiatry.
THE HORMONE SYMPHONY WITHIN YOU
BE THE CONDUCTOR OF YOUR BODY
The daily sleep/wake cycle determines when it’s time to be awake and when it’s time for bed. There is a symphony of hormones inside you, each responsible for controlling this cycle day and night. The primary hormones are cortisol and melatonin. When in balance and functioning properly, you have a predictable sleep cycle. Your goal is learning to manage this symphony. Cortisol is the “stress” hormone. It’s activated in response to any sort of stress, real or imaginary. Cortisol is highest in the morning and should drop gradually throughout the day. When cortisol is chronically elevated, it’s damaging to your body in many ways. The Tiger program teaches you how to manage this response, hence managing your cortisol. Chronic stress and excessive cortisol release may cause adrenal fatigue, a condition where the adrenal glands are chronically depleted of cortisol. Lack of sleep, poor response to real stressors, excessive rumination about perceived or imagined stressors and poor diet can all contribute to this condition. Melatonin enables sleep quality and regulates your sleep cycle. The timing and amount of light that a person gets impacts melatonin production. As the day goes on, you have less cortisol and more melatonin. Melatonin is what informs you it’s time to go to sleep as the sun sets and is key to getting good sleep and managing this symphony. Try to avoid being stressed in the evening, looking at electronic devices within an hour of bed without blue blocker settings or glasses, engaging in work as you go to bed, drinking alcohol excessively, and exercising near bedtime, as these activities inhibit melatonin production. Talk with your concierge or clinic personnel to learn more ways to create a great night’s sleep. Tiger staff and clinics have great information that can help you improve your sleep and recovery, while also reducing things that interfere with your skills so you can experience peak performance. Cortisol should function in an inverse fashion with the sleep hormone melatonin and vice versa.
You might be surprised to learn that specific foods have been shown to reduce anxiety.
In mice, diets low in magnesium were found to increase anxiety-related behaviors. Therefore, foods naturally rich in magnesium may help a person to feel more calm. Examples include leafy greens, such as spinach and Swiss chard. Other sources include legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
Foods rich in zinc such as oysters, cashews, liver, beef, and egg yolks have been linked to lowered anxiety.
Other foods, including fatty fish like wild Alaskan salmon, contain omega-3 fatty acids . A study completed on medical students in 2011 was one of the first to show that omega-3s may help reduce anxiety. (This study used supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids). Prior to the study, omega-3 fatty acids had been linked to only improving depression. A study in the journal Psychiatry Research suggested a link between probiotic-rich foods and a lowering of social anxiety. Eating probiotic-rich foods such as pickles, sauerkraut, and kefir was linked with fewer symptoms.
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