In this article about how you can improve your sleep quality: In the realm of lifestyle, we talk a lot about training and nutrition, but just as important, or perhaps even more important, is sleep and your recovery. Due to lack of sleep or poor sleep quality, the body cannot recover sufficiently from the physical exertions it has undergone during the day and the mental stimuli it has processed. If you start your day feeling unrested for several consecutive days, your body becomes increasingly burdened, resulting in overload, burnout, or depression. Those who paid attention earlier in the article about stress understand the impact this has on the body. In this article, we explain how you can recognize that you are sleeping poorly and everything about improving your sleep.
How you can improve your sleep quality explained
How do I recognize sleep deprivation?
You probably know when you've had a bad night because you had trouble falling asleep or woke up frequently. Symptoms of sleep deprivation include delayed reaction and concentration abilities, making it harder to remember things and stay focused during activities like driving or meeting work deadlines. Additionally, feeling down is a symptom, as your brain produces less serotonin, also known as the happiness hormone, due to sleep deprivation. Furthermore, physical complaints such as headaches, nausea, colds, and flu can occur because your immune system is weakened. Do you recognize these complaints? It could very well be that you have sleep deprivation. The tips below can help you sleep better.
Improve sleep by supplementing magnesium
We previously wrote about the reasons to supplement magnesium and sleep promotion was one of them. Magnesium has the property of calming your nervous system due to its positive influence on the neurotransmitters in your brain. For example, taking 2 or 3 capsules half an hour before you go to sleep makes it easier to give in to mental fatigue. A lot of research has already been done on the effects of magnesium for sleep. It is often the first change we try with our athletes.
Get enough movement during the day
Throughout the day, your cortisol levels decrease, and your body will produce more growth hormone, which is a hormone that helps your body recover and grow. This natural balance makes you feel tired and helps you fall asleep more easily, allowing the growth hormone to do its work. However, if you do not move enough during the day, your body does not produce high levels of growth hormone, resulting in less sleep and making it harder to fall asleep. Conversely, if you engage in intense exercise right before going to bed, your body produces cortisol, making it difficult to fall asleep immediately afterward. In our article Strength training and anxiety disorders, we tell you more about this.
Be aware of stressors
If you have too much of the stress hormone cortisol in your body, the natural balance between cortisol and growth hormone is disrupted, making it difficult for you to fall asleep. You may feel very hyper and start to worry, for example. Additionally, your sleep quality will decline because you cannot recover as well. We explained how this works here. Therefore, try to address the stressors in your life at the source and be aware of potential factors that can make you stressed.
Reduce stimuli
We all know that exhausted feeling after a day of work or studying. Your body has had to process a lot of stimuli all day, and you need relaxation. Often, people watch television, start a series, or play on their phones in between tasks. This creates even more stimuli; just think about how much extra information your brain has to process on top of the mandatory activities you already have. If you were to compare our daily information processing to someone born in the Middle Ages, you would be amazed. It is no wonder that more and more people are struggling with burnout. Therefore, try to establish a fixed routine an hour before you go to sleep with activities that truly help you relax. A lot happens during your sleep, but one of the most important things is that it is essentially 'un-stimulating' after a busy day. Read more about what happens during sleep.
Quickly get your sleep in order? Choose guidance
Working with a personal trainer goes beyond creating training schedules and having a push to keep you accountable. A trainer looks at your entire lifestyle to help you develop healthy habits. One of those habits is a healthy sleep rhythm. Want to know more about it? Then visit our studio for personal training Haarlem.
Conclusion
Lack of sleep and sleep quality are often the result of multiple factors such as stress, insufficient movement during the day or too much movement before bedtime, and an abundance of information you need to process. We often know what we can do to be a bit more relaxed before going to sleep. With this article, we aim to clarify how you can recognize the symptoms of sleep deprivation and what you can do about it. Start by taking magnesium, pay attention to your movement patterns, and try to prevent stress and be mindful of your stimulus processing.
Do you have questions following this article? Or do you want to know more about how this works?
Don't hesitate and contact us at overveen@daadkracht.training
