Posts Tagged ‘sleep’

Importance of Quality Sleep for Athletes

Thursday, August 31st, 2017

Fatigue makes cowards of us all

A lot of people are sleep deprived… Everything from last minute travel to anxiety prevents people from getting a good night’s rest on a regular occasion. While sleep deprivation is nothing uncommon, you’d be surprised to know just how many people don’t get enough sleep…

Last year, Pegasus Capital Advisors teamed up with ResMed and Dr. Oz to from SleepScore Labs, an organization that aims to enables us to understand our sleep and deliver the first clinically proven standard for measuring sleep in our homes.

Back in January, they organization conducted the largest sleep study in the history of the United States, which looked at sleep information from more than 20,000 people and a collective 1.5 million nights’ worth of sleep. And they discovered that sleep is chronically neglected by most Americans.

Just check this out – according to data from the study, almost 80% of US citizens aren’t getting the recommended amount of sleep each night. Moreover, men in the US average only 5 hours and 45 minutes of sleep each night, while women are slightly better, with 6 hours and 9 minutes. (more…)

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How Adaptogens Can Help Regulate Adrenal Health and Why You Should Care

Thursday, May 18th, 2017

What Adaptogens Can Do for Your Adrenal Health

When it comes to health, it’s safe to say that pretty much every part of the human body is equal, right? Well, the reality is, there is one part of the human body that, if left untreated or taken care of, can lead to detrimental results. If you did not know, your adrenal glands play an essential role in creating sex hormones and cortisol, which a human cannot live without. Due to this, researchers have begun to draw a connection between adaptogen supplements and an increase in adrenal health.

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Is a Memory Foam Mattress Bad for My Back?

Thursday, May 4th, 2017

Memory Foam is Big Business – But Is It Good For You?

You’ve heard it, time and time again, that memory foam is your ticket to the best night’s sleep you’ve had in ages. This is definitely true for some people who swear by the material, but many others remain skeptical. One of the most common questions we hear is whether various memory foam mattress options are good for your back, posture, and bone health.

mattress female athlete

How Memory Foam Works

Memory foam materials have their origins in 1960s NASA flight experiments. The institution needed very soft material to keep high-speed flight pilots protected against g-force. The same characteristics that make this material ideal for those flights also make it a very comfortable mattress material.

Since it conforms to the shape of your body, you can sleep in any variety of positions without feeling encumbered by stiffness. This softness is what really makes memory foam stand out, but not everyone is convinced that this is what’s best for the human body. (more…)

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Falling Asleep at the Wheel? Learn to Combat Driving Fatigue

Tuesday, April 11th, 2017

Drowsy drivers are a danger to themselves as well as others on the road. According to the CDC, the problem has reached alarming proportions. The dangerous combination of fatigue, drowsiness, and driving often ends tragically.

Sleeping and drivingWhen questioned, 1 in 25 drivers reported falling asleep at the wheel of a motor vehicle at least once within the preceding month. Data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates that driving fatigue and drowsy drivers are responsible for 100,000 accidents and 1,500 deaths every year. However, many experts believe these numbers may be a gross under-estimation.

Thousands of motor vehicle accidents are the result of a sleepy driver who wasn’t paying attention, had a delayed reaction time, or had an impaired ability to make decisions on the road. (more…)

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Minor Lifestyles Changes That Can Lead To Improved Overall Health

Thursday, March 2nd, 2017

Healthy CoupleIn this day and age, it is absolutely pertinent for all consumers to put a greater amount of emphasis on their overall health. We’ve got news reports, magazines, blogs, celebrities… everywhere and everyone you see is promoting some form of ‘healthy lifestyle’, and research has proven that certain healthy habits can decrease obesity and healthify the body.

Nonetheless, there are still a lot of people that do risky and unhealthy things on a daily basis. If you wish to live a longer, healthier and happier life, you should begin taking steps to improve your health right now!

The good news is that a few minor changes and provide you with dramatic improvements. Some of the most dramatic changes you can make will be explored in greater detail below.
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What Does Sleep Have to Do with Your Muscle Gain?

Tuesday, February 28th, 2017

If you’re looking for muscle gain, you probably think that devoting more hours to the gym is your best bet. But you’re wrong. Your diet is also responsible for a high percentage of your progress, but it is not always the key to getting out of a training rut.

If you’re looking for the real secret to achieving the muscle development you want, it’s simple – get more sleep. That’s right. Sleep is likely the missing piece to your training regimen.

In fact, according to research, it just may be the most important component of your regimen as it helps to increase muscular strength and size and promote efficient recovery. 

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Top Ways to Enhance Recovery from Intense Training

Tuesday, June 14th, 2016
post workout recovery

With goals to achieve and a dream ahead, most bodybuilders tend to ignore the time required for the body to recover from intense training. However, this is crucial step is actually highly recommended by experts. The body’s cells experience minute tears and fatigue during such activities which, when accumulated for long, can lead to shock or any other complication people do not want to go through. So, what should one do to enhance body recovery? This article will tell you more.

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Why Rest and Recovery Is Important for Athletes

Thursday, May 9th, 2013
Exhausted Fitness Girl

When you first set out on your journey to bulk up and build the muscular physique that allows you to look and feel your best, or even pit yourself against other athletes in strength, endurance, and overall fitness challenges, you might be focused on working hard in order to build muscle and advance as quickly as possible. While this is certainly an important part of the equation, over time you’ll learn that there’s more to bodybuilding than simply lifting weights.

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How to Relax After an Intense Workout

Wednesday, March 13th, 2013

Relax Fitness GirlThere’s nothing like pushing yourself to your physical limits and leaving it all on the field, so to speak, when you exercise. Not only does it make you feel like you accomplished something, but it also gets you one step closer to meeting your fitness goals, whether you’re shooting for 20-inch biceps, you want to bench press your own body weight, or you’re training for a marathon, just for example.

A good workout can boost endorphins, making you feel energized and amazing throughout the day, and it can also help you to sleep better at night. Unfortunately, it might have just the opposite effect, making you feel fatigued but amped up at the same time. If this is the case, you might be looking for a few good ways to recover and relax after an intense workout.

Here are just a few strategies that might help.

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5 MORE Ways to Burn MORE Belly Fat During Exercise

Wednesday, February 27th, 2013

No Belly Fat ChickOne of the first places the average adult body stores spare fat is around the belly, and this can be a real nightmare for anyone trying to trim down their midsection.

You might think that you’re doing everything right when it comes to your diet and exercise regimen, and yet, for some reason you just can seem to shed the unsightly padding around your abdominals.

If this is the case, you could find that doing everything right is actually all wrong. Your lifestyle might be sabotaging everything.

Here are just a few tips and tricks that could help you to finally melt away the belly fat that’s been plaguing you for years. Sure, they say diet is responsible for 75% of your progress, but if you are doing everything else wrong, your lifestyle could derail 90% of your progress.

Here are 5 more tips to help you lose belly fat:

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How to Avoid Late-Night Eating

Friday, January 11th, 2013

No Rest for the Wicked or for the Wicked Busy

Late Night SnackingWhether you’re burning the midnight oil to cram for a test, you’re enjoying your precious moments of freedom with friends by partying until dawn, or you’re one of those 24 hour-a-day computer programmers (yeah, we don’t sleep) you may find yourself wolfing down high-calorie snacks that give you the fuel needed to power through your fatigue. Unfortunately, this can have a slew of unfortunate side effects, from simple digestive discomfort and heartburn to weight gain and all of the problems associated with it.

If you’ve gotten in the habit of staying up late, eating into the wee hours of the morning may have become routine. However, you can get back on a normal schedule where your diet is concerned and avoid late-night binges without too much trouble so long as you follow a few simple guidelines.

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Is There Really a “Best” Time of Day to Exercise?

Monday, December 31st, 2012

When Should You Workout?

Tired WomanThe short answer here is yes, there is a best time of day to exercise. The longer answer is that you may face some difficulty when it comes to finding that magical hour in which you’ll get the most out of your workout regimen. The problem is that we are all different and thus, what works for one person may not be at all ideal for another.

For example, you may hop out of bed in the morning the minute your alarm goes off, raring to go and ready to throw on your jogging shoes. On the other hand, you might have no frame of reference for people who can rise even earlier than usual to get in a workout before a full day of work.

It could be that you prefer to exercise after work as a way to refocus and relieve stress. Maybe you like to head to the gym late at night when no one else is around to get in your way. Or perhaps you enjoy the hustle and bustle of other active adults moving all around you. The point is that everyone has different wants and needs when it comes to exercise, and they could play a role in finding the best time of day to workout.

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Melatonin Helps You Fall Asleep

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

I found this article today that talks about a lack of ‘blue light’, which we get from early morning exposure to sunlight. When teenagers are not properly exposed to ‘blue light’ for one week, their bodies release melatonin 30 minutes later in the day, which causes them to stay up later and fall asleep in class the next day. The release of melatonin is often also responsible for lack of sleep due to insomnia.

Insomnia
Insomnia

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ZMA for Deep Sleep, Muscle Gain, and Fat Loss

Monday, April 20th, 2009
Dr. John Berardi
John Berardi

Since the late 1990’s Dr. John Berardi has published 8 scientific abstracts; 15 scientific papers and textbook chapters; presented at nearly 50 scientific, exercise, and nutrition related conferences; and published countless articles online.

His first articles at Testosterone Magazine so many years ago, provided me with the basis for everything I know about nutrition today. Now I will turn some of that knowledge over to you in the form of Nutrition Tips written by Dr. Berardi himself.

Today’s Topic – ZMA for Deep Sleep

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