The single most important thing to improve your health

The single most important thing to improve your health
There are some things that a person can do on a day to day
basis that will revolutionise their health. I'm not talking
about the latest bunch of exercises or eating more
superfoods rather something far more basic and natural.
Just by implementing this one simple change to your
schedule will almost immediately revolutionise your life
for the better. So what is this daily miracle? The answer
is sleep.

Everybody knows that sleep is important and I'm sure most
people agree that they don't get enough of it. Sleep is
such an important part of our lives that without it we
would die. Experiments conducted on rats have shown that
sleep deprivation leads to death in just a matter of weeks.
Without adequate sleep we get a fall in our immune system,
reduced concentration levels, memory impairment, mood
swings, energy dips and much more.

Sleep isn't just about how much we get but also about when.
As human beings we are still naturally attached to the
environment and the rising and setting of the sun. As the
sun rises the light stimulates our eyes and activates the
stress hormone cortisol. This particular hormone is
responsible for stimulating movement and preparing the body
for action, and will peak during the day and start to
reduce in the afternoon. During the evening cortisol levels
should be at a minimum and this releases melatonin and
subsequently growth and repair hormones for the impending
sleep. As we sleep our body gets repaired first physically
and then mentally.

Unfortunately, this pattern of hormonal release isn't how
most of us live our lives. We go to bed too late and feed
our body full of stimulants resulting in stress hormones in
the evening and no physical repair during the night. If you
are not sleeping by 10.30pm then your body is missing out
on vital growth and repair that happens for approxamately 4
hours during this time. Remember you are influenced by the
sun not when you choose to go to bed.

If you choose to feed yourself stimulants like caffeine,
alcohol or sugar any later than early afternoon this will
elevate you cortisol levels, a stress hormone, at a time
when it should be reducing and in turn will not release
melatonin and repair hormones when you most need then
during your sleep. So if you are overdoing the coffee or
alcohol in the evening then you are not repairing your body
for the next day. The result is general fatigue, headaches,
muscle aches and pains, joint problems, infections etc.

To live a healthier life you must start to follow your
natural sleeping cycle. This means getting out of bed early
and going to bed early. Help to keep your stress hormones
at a minimum during the afternoon by avoiding all
stimulants and dimming lights in the evening and avoiding
watching tv too late. Get to bed by 10.30pm and ensure that
you sleep in full darkness, remember that light is what
stimulates our stress hormones and gets us up in the
morning. Get a good 7-9 hours rest each night at the right
time and you'll be well on your way to a more productive
and healthier lifestyle.

Good night!

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Greg is a health and fitness professional and author of
"the no gear workout" based in Hampstead, North London. He
achieves fantastic results for his clients by using his
indepth knowledge and the most up to date techniques.
http://www.gbpersonaltraining.com