In our approach to health and fitness we focus on three key factors, movement, nutrition, and recovery. We have already talked about movement and nutrition and we will return to both of those soon, but this week we are talking about recovery and more specifically, sleep.
How much are you getting and what is the quality of the sleep you are getting? If you are like most teenagers, 5 hours seems to be the norm and it is looked upon like a merit badge if you can function on less. But the truth is the price you are paying for this is high and the time that is saved by cutting sleep is often paid back in the form of disease. Several studies have shown how quickly sleep deprivation effects just about every bodily system and can contribute to stress, inflammation, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Other studies have shown the symptoms of sleep deprivation mirror those of ADD/ADHD and can lead to a misdiagnosis in teens.
Most people know this and somehow on their cost/benefit analysis still think it's worth it. Let me add one more component that may sway the scale. Lack of sleep has a strong link to an individuals ability to lose body fat. More specifically ongoing sleep deprivation has been linked to increased body fat retention and obesity. I found the following scale in an article on the web site Mercola.
The recommended amount of sleep per night is seven to nine hours; however, most Americans average somewhere around six. Researchers found that the further away one is from getting the recommended hours of sleep, the higher their risk of obesity is.
Lack of Sleep and the Obesity Connection
Less than four hours: 73 percent risk
Five hours of sleep: 50 percent risk
Six hours of sleep: 23 percent risk
A quick google search will provide you with study after study showing that lack of sleep leads to insulin resistance, decreased leptin levels (leptin is a blood protein that suppresses the appetite and helps the brain sense when you are full) and increased cortisol levels (an ugly stress hormone that among other bad things increases blood sugar). All of these processes combine to lock fat into your cells and prevent you from shedding fat and using it as an energy source.
What can you do about it? Treat sleep the same way you treat your diet. It is almost as important. Set a time to get into bed that will allow for, at the very least, 7 hours of sleep, preferably more. Make your bedroom a cool dark sanctuary. There should be only one thing going on in your bed, sleep. Watching TV, in bed, is a huge hindrance to deep sleep. Get all electrical and lighted devices away from your bed. When the lights are off, you should not be able to see your hand in front of your face. Try to standardize your schedule. If you have to get up at 5am during the week, try to make your wake-up time during the weekend not stray too far from that. Sleeping in late on the weekends will reset your circadian rhythms and have you playing catch up till Wednesday of the next week. The last few tips most of you probably already know. No coffee or any caffeinated drinks late in the day. Alcohol really screws with the sleep cycle, and again late night TV stimulates the brain and makes it harder to get to sleep.
It's a long post with a lot to think about, but for your blog this week I want you to answer 2 questions.
1. On average, how much sleep are you currently getting?
2. What are circadian rhythms?
I get around 7 hours 50 minutes of sleep
ReplyDeleteA circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological or behavioral processes of living entities
Simon jiang
i get 9 hours of sleep
ReplyDeleteand circadian rhythm is when a person gets 8 hours of sleep in his 24 hour life cycle.
garth hsu
i get 2 hours of sleep
ReplyDeletethe cyclical 24-hour period of human biological activity.
Within the circadian (24-hour) cycle, a person usually sleeps approximately 8 hours and is awake 16. During the wakeful hours, mental and physical functions are most active and tissue cell growth increases. During sleep, voluntary muscle activities nearly disappear and there is a decrease in metabolic rate, respiration, heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure. The activity of the digestive system increases during the resting period, but that of the urinary system decreases. Hormones secreted by the body, such as the stimulant epinephrine (adrenaline), are released in maximal amounts about two hours before awakening so that the body is prepared for activity.
The circadian cycle is controlled by a region of the brain known as the hypothalamus, which is the master centre for integrating rhythmic information and establishing sleep patterns. A part of the hypothalamus called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) receives signals about light and dark from the retina of the eye. Upon activation by light, special photoreceptor cells in the retina transmit signals to the SCN via neurons of the retinohypothalamic tract. The signals are further transmitted to the pineal gland, a small cone-shaped structure that is attached to the posterior end (behind the hypothalamus) of the third cerebral ventricle and that is responsible for the production of a hormone called melatonin. Cyclical fluctuations of melatonin are vital for maintaining a normal circadian rhythm. When the retina detects light, melatonin production is inhibited and wakefulness ensues; light wavelength (colour) and intensity are important factors affecting the extent to which melatonin production is inhibited. In contrast, in response to darkness, melatonin production is increased, and the body begins to prepare for sleep. Sleep-inducing reactions, such as decreases in body temperature and blood pressure, are generated when melatonin binds to receptors in the SCN.
The natural time signal for the circadian pattern is the change from darkness to light. Where daylight patterns are not consistent, as in outer space, regimented cycles are established to simulate the 24-hour day. If one tries to break the circadian rhythm by ignoring sleep for a number of days, psychological disorders begin to arise. The human body can learn to function in cycles ranging between 18 and 28 hours, but any variance greater or less than this usually causes the body to revert to a 24-hour cycle. Even in totally lighted areas such as the subpolar twilight zone, the body has regular cycles of sleep and wakefulness once the initial adjustment has been made.
Any drastic shift in the circadian cycle requires a certain period for readjustment. Each individual reacts to these changes differently. Travel across a number of time zones is commonly accompanied by circadian rhythm stress, sometimes called “jet lag.” For example, jet travel between Tokyo and New York City creates a time difference of 10 hours; it usually takes several days for the body to readjust to the new day-night pattern. Too-frequent shifts in circadian patterns, such as several transoceanic flights a month, can lead to mental and physical fatigue. Preflight or postflight adaptation can be achieved by gradually changing one’s sleeping patterns to simulate those that will be necessary in the new environment. Space travel is even more extreme. Astronauts first encounter rapid changes in the day-night cycle while in Earth’s orbit. Beyond this, the void becomes a constant blackness with no observable distinction between daytime and nighttime.
The circadian cycle can alter the effectiveness of some drugs. For example, the timing of administration of hormonal drugs so as to be in accord with their natural circadian production pattern seems to place less stress on the body and produce more effective medical results.
Erin wh1te
I sleep 7-8 hours a day.
ReplyDeleteCircadian rhythms is a daily rhythmic activity cycle, based on 24-hour intervals.
Ben Crookshank
1. about 6 hours a night
ReplyDelete2. A circadian rhythm is a daily activity cycle based on 24 hour intervals.
1. On aveage I go to bed at 11 and wake up at 6 which gives me 7 hours of sleep.
ReplyDelete2. The circadian rythhms are behavioral or biological functions that change over a 24 hour day.
- Krisztian Mazo
I usually get 7.5 hours of sleep a night.
ReplyDeleteCircadian rhythms are the body's daily cycle or biological clock in the body's biochemical, physiological, or behavioral processes.
-Harrison Blackman
1. 6-7 hours
ReplyDelete2. circadian rhythms are behavioral patterns, physical changes, and mental characteristics that happen in a 24-hour period, people sometimes use these to find out cures for sleeping disorders or learn more about different lifeforms on earth
--kathy chen
1. on average 8 hrs
ReplyDelete2. circadian rythms is like a clock on how much you sleep and how tired you are
--bryce andrukitis
1 I uusally get about 7 hours of sleep
ReplyDelete2 Circardian rythems are the daily schedule of your body functions, like how you get up each day around the same time.
Maybe I should sleep less, since im really skinny. I could probably fit through cracks on a door. ha ha. just kidding!
Nick Soileau
I get 7 hours of sleep
ReplyDeletea circadian rhythm is a daily cycle of activity that is based on 24-hour intervals. it is influenced by regular variations in the enviroment.
-wendy sun
1) I get anywhere between 6 to 9 hours of sleep
ReplyDelete2) a 24 hour cycle of sleeping an waking up
8-9 hours of sleep
ReplyDeletea daily cycle based on a 24 hour day
Boaz Ru
I get about 8 hours of sleep
ReplyDeleteCircadian rhythms are behavioral patterns, physical changes, and mental characteristics that happen in a 24hour period..
I get about 7-8 hours of sleep
ReplyDeleteCircadian rhythms are a roughly-24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological or behavioral processes of living entities. It can be effected externally by different things, like light.
- Austin Feng
1) I get about 6 hours of sleep every night
ReplyDelete2) A circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological or behavioral processes of living entities, including plants, animals, fungi and cyanobacteria
-Aras Sanati
i usually get 9 hours of sleep a night
ReplyDeletecircadia: noting or pertaining to rhythmic biological cycles recurring at approximately 24-hour intervals.
nina lish
1. 8 to 9 hours
ReplyDelete2. Circadian rhythm is a 24 hour cycle of human biological activity, like a biological clock.
Melissa Libutti
At least 6 hours.
ReplyDeleteA circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological or behavioral processes of living entities, including plants, animals, fungi and cyanobacteria
Landon F.
I get 6 hours of sleep
ReplyDeleteA circadian rythm is a biological clock that runs for 24 hours and it is biologicalcycle that affects human behavior and sleep
rohan anthony
I usually get about 7 hours of sleep a night
ReplyDeleteA Circadian rhythm is a 24 hour cycle of a body's functions
Kyle Rampp
I get about 7-9 hours of sleep
ReplyDeleteA circadian rhythm is a 24-hour cycle in the biochemical process of living things
Zach Spoon Grinspoon
I get around 8 or 9 hours of sleep every night not including occasional naps.
ReplyDeleteA circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological or behavioral processes of living entities, including plants, animals, fungi and cyanobacteria.
Theo Couloumbis
like 6 hours of sleep.
ReplyDeleteA circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological or behavioral processes of living entities, including plants, animals, fungi and cyanobacteria
Esther Yoo
1) about 7-8 hours
ReplyDelete2) a circadian rhythm is a 24-hour daily activity cycle that includes biochemical, physiological, and behavioral processes
1.I average about 6 hours and 45 minutes of sleep per day.
ReplyDelete2.The Circadian rhythm is a name given to the "internal body clock" that regulates the (roughly) 24 hour cycle of biological processes in animals and plants. (The term circadian comes from the Latin circa, meaning "around" and dies, "day", meaning literally, "around the day").Circadian rhythms are important in determining the sleeping and feeding patterns of all animals, including humans. There are clear patterns of brain wave activity, hormone production, cell regeneration and other biological activities linked to this 24 hour cycle."
Dane Searles
1. i get about 5.5 to 6 hours of sleep on school days
ReplyDeleteweekend i sleep for about 9 hours
2.a circadian rhythm happenes in a 24 hour periodand it is a physical change, behavioral patterns, and mental characterisics
Nikki Bhalla
1. 7-8 hours
ReplyDelete2. A circadian rhythm is a cycle of biological behavior that repeats itself every 24 hours
-Grant Fox
1. Normally 6-8 hrs a day.
ReplyDelete2. Circadian Rhythms is the internal body clock that regulates the (roughly) 24-hour cycle of biological processes in animals and plants
Erin White
I have a horrible memory :D
ReplyDelete1. I get at least 6 hours of sleep, rarely get less
2. Circadian rhythms are behavioral patterns, physical changes, and characteristics that happen in a 24 hour period.
O that other huge paragraph thing wasn't from me... it was probably like simon screwin around on here... mine is the third to last one O_O
ReplyDeleteErin White
sorry i forgot to put my name again, my blog is the one on december 3 and 5:54. sorry, i hope you can change it on edline.
ReplyDelete-Jordan Weissberg
1. 6-7 hours of sleep
ReplyDelete2. a circadin rytham are patterns that happen in a 24 hour peiriod
1. I get about 7-8 hours of sleep
ReplyDelete2. Circadian rhythms is a daily rhythmic activity cycle, based on 24 hour intervals
-Aishwariya C.
7.5 hours of sleep
ReplyDeletea circadian rythms is a 24 hour cycle of a bodys functons
brian fantozzi
I get about 8 hours of sleep
ReplyDeleteCircadian rhythms are behavioral patterns, physical changes, and mental characteristics.
and can you please check my grade in gym?
for the volley ball unit, you might have made mistakes on the grades.
-Stella Koo
i sleep 5-6 hours
ReplyDeletea circadian rythms is a 24 hour cycle of a bodys functons
Stella it wasnt a mistake
-Brandon Lezcano
1. i get about 5-7.5hrs of sleep
ReplyDelete2. its a 24-hr cycle where one is awake for 16hrs and asleep for 8
-Sayema Tareq