Sleep is the magic bullet for health and performance
Your brain has a 100 billion neurons in it, which are the cells that handle thinking, problem solving, concentration, focus and alertness.
We have discovered that when you sleep, the billions of cells inside of your brain shrink by about 60%. They do this to open space for cerebral spinal fluid to wash through your brain. This process clears out viruses, bacteria, broken down cells and waste products.
(c) Greg Wells Ph.D., 2017 All Rights Reserved.
This is the best kind of brainwashing. And it happens when you sleep.
What we know is that there are specific cleaning cells inside the brain called astroglia that are between the neurons. When they are activated, astroglia scoop up waste products and drive them towards blood vessels so they drain away from the brain.
When you are awake and hustling, this system is shut down. Only when you enter a deep sleep and delta waves prevail, do the astroglia activate and do their work.
This is why it’s essential to give yourself permission to sleep and set up habits to make it happen. Your brain can’t perform fully if it hasn’t recovered the night before.
We are also learning that this cleaning process prevents disease and disorders. It helps prevent Alzheimer's disease. It also reduces inflammation, which helps to prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer, and depression.
Sleep is the magic bullet. It is the key to becoming world class on a daily basis.
How much sleep do you need for optimal recovery and regeneration?
The ideal night’s sleep is five complete 90-minute sleep cycles. That's between seven and eight hours. Evidence shows this is the formula for achieving the lowest risk of all-cause mortality. If you want to live the longest and most productive life, train your brain to go through five sleep cycles every night.
What if you don’t have good sleep habits?
I get a lot of questions from readers and audience members about sleep. Many of them have longstanding habits and consistently fall short of the five cycles.
Irregular sleep is like smoking – it’s a habit that is difficult to break and has detrimental effects. The damage accumulates. However, the second that you stop smoking, your body starts healing. It’s the same with sleep. As soon as you start sleeping well, your brain starts healing.
The key is perseverance.
If you have not been sleeping well for a long time, when you finally get into a good habit, just one or two nights of not-great sleep will jolt your brain back to the old ways. When that happens, focus on getting back into a good habit. Your brain will respond.
Eventually, sleeping the full five cycles will become your new normal and less-than-ideal sleep will be an exception.
Want to learn more?
Check out my new book Rest Refocus Recharge! In the book I cover simple and innovative ways to fight fatigue, feel stronger and live better.
In a 24/7 world, it can be a real challenge to get proper rest and give your mind and body the opportunity to fully recharge. In my new book, I outline how small changes in the way you rest, refocus and recharge can help you improve your mental health, prevent illness and deliver optimal results. In high-performance athletic circles, “deliberate recovery” practices are the secret weapon of the very best. But you don’t have to be an elite athlete to benefit from these strategies. Rest Refocus Recharge offers simple and practical techniques that you can easily incorporate into your existing routine, including:
Rest and sleep
Relax and create
Reflect and learn
Recharge and focus
Regenerate and perform
Let me know what you think about this article and the new book in the comments section below!
