Page 104 - Muscle & Fitness (February 2020)
P. 104
GET THE
PERFECT
NIGHT’S SLEEP
According to Marcello,
there are four significant
barriers preventing you from
getting quality z’s: light, noise,
temperature, and pain. Here’s
how to conquer each.
OBSTACLE No. 1:
OU’VE ALWAYS University. He was also a recent LIGHT
KNOWN that sleep is guest on the Muscle & Fitness
beneficial to your well- podcast, Reps. “If your opponent Light is what dictates our sleep-
being because, well, it is not fatigued and you are, even wake cycle. When the sun is
makes sense—the more if you may be more talented, shining, it’s time to get up and
Y you sleep, the less tired you are going to be at a disad- move, and when it’s dark,
you feel. But how sleep impacts vantage.” it’s time to sleep.
our bodies is far more essential How much of a disadvantage? Tech devices like smartphones
and nuanced than we thought. According to a Stanford Univer- and tablets seriously screw
“New studies have catapulted sity study, 11 basketball players with this cycle, as they emit blue
sleep into this whole new level were instructed to get a mini- light, a wavelength of light that
of awareness, which many of mum of 10 hours of rest per suppresses our sleep hormone,
us thought was common sense,” night for five weeks. After five melatonin.
says Brandon Marcello, Ph.D., weeks, the athletes recorded Marcello recommends two
a high-performance specialist faster sprint times and a 9% things for this: 1) Put your phone
who has worked with Olympic increase in free throw accuracy away an hour before bed, and
and professional athletes and is and three-pointers. 2) invest in a pair of blue-light-
a former director of Sports Marcello points to another blocking glasses. “Some only
Performance at Stanford study in which 24-year-old men block about 25% of blue light,
who got five hours of sleep per though,” he says. “Look for a
night ended up with testoster- brand that offers a higher
one levels equivalent to a 40- percent of protection.”
Next, you’ll want to make sure
NEW STUDIES year-old’s after just one week. that your room is dark. “Very, O P E N E R : S H U T T E R S T O C K . T H I S PAG E : S Y LV I E T I T T E L / U N S P L A S H
It doesn’t end there. Logging
HAVE less than six hours of sleep per very dark,” Marcello says. “You
CATAPULTED night cuts your cancer-fighting don’t want any light peeking
SLEEP INTO A cells in half, lowers your libido, through your curtains, and cover
up lights from your TV with
and prevents your brain from
NEW LEVEL OF clearing itself of cellular debris. electrical tape, and make sure
AWARENESS. “Sleep doesn’t guarantee you the your alarm clock doesn’t give
best game of your life,” Marcello off too much light.”
says. “But it stacks the odds in
your favor.”
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