Written by Natalia Kielcz

Do you ever think that there are just not enough hours in the day to get everything done? Do you sacrifice sleep in order to have “more” hours of productivity, but you still feel like you are just scraping by? If you do, stop now! Sleep is just a high a priority as anything else in your life, and sleeping less negatively effects how you function inside and out!

Studies on sleep have repeatedly shown that getting quality snooze time in plays a vital role in promoting physical health, longevity, and emotional well-being. The Institute of Medicine recently estimated in its report, Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem, that “hundreds of billions of dollars a year are spent on direct medical costs related to sleep disorders such as doctor visits, hospital services, prescriptions, and over-the-counter medications.” Sleep problems and lack of sleep can affect everything from personal and work productivity to behavioral and relationship problems. Over time, chronic sleep deprivation may lead to an array of serious medical conditions like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and even early death. Who would have thought that something as simple as hitting the sheets could cut medical costs and improve your quality of life overal.

In our fast paced, achievement oriented society, we often push sleep aside to get as much as we can done in our waking hours…but without adequate sleep, judgment, mood, and ability to learn and retain information are greatly reduced. This explains why you feel alert, your thoughts are clearer, and you are more emotionally stable after a solid night of rest.

So, when you are feeling low on energy, moody, and/or stressed out, sleep it off!! Clock in 7 to 8 solid hours of sleep regularly and see if that doesn’t improve your quality of “waking” life.

by Bob Calvin, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N, CSCS and Denise Barry, RD
Performance Nutritionists – Athletes Performance

Mild traumatic brain injuries, or as they are more commonly known concussions, have been a hot topic lately within the sporting world. According to the Brain Injury Research Institute, headed by one of the leading researchers in the field, Dr. Julian Bailes, “approximately 1.6-3.8 million sports and recreation related concussions are estimated to occur annually in the United States” (1). As we are coming to learn this is a very serious matter that cannot be taken lightly.

When the brain undergoes a concussive impact or force, neurons, the main functional cells of the brain, are damaged. The neuron’s axon, or tail, undergoes swelling and detachment from soma, or cell body. Leakage of calcium and other chemical messengers into the synaptic space can then occur through damage in the axon’s membrane. This leakage can lead to disruptions in cellular metabolism, glucose utilization, neuron communication and ultimately apoptosis, or cell death (2).

This all sounds very grave, so you might be asking yourself, is there anything that can be done to protect against / minimize damage, or accelerate the healing process? According to the research, the answer may be yes, and may very well lie within that fish oil capsule you have sitting in your medicine cabinet.

Supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids post traumatic brain injury, particularly DHA (the most abundant omega-3 found in the neuronal membrane) has been shown to produce neuroprotective effects in rats. These essential omega-3 fats appear to enhance phospholipid production (the primary constituent of the cellular membrane), nerve growth and circulation, while at the same time combating chronic inflammation (2).

Do not let this information limit your omega-3 supplementation to post injury, as there is also compelling preliminary research in the rat model for supplementing prior to a potential injury. In a recent paper, Mills and colleagues showed that DHA supplementation prior to a traumatic brain injury in rats significantly reduced axonal injury and apoptosis while improving memory function when compared to controls (3).

This preliminary research in the animal model is quite convincing, nevertheless, more studies need to done on the human population to really determine the need and dosing for omega-3s. Currently, the most frequently recommended dose of supplemental omega-3 for overall health is 1-3 total grams of EPA/DHA per day (2). Now go take your fish oil!

References:
Gail Hayes. CDC Announces Updated Information to help Physicians Recognize and Manage Concussions Early. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2007/r070607.htm?s_cid=mediarel_r070607. Accessed October 26, 2009.

Bailes, JE, Mills, JD. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) Reduces Traumatic Axonal Injury in a Rodent Head Injury Model. Journal of Neurotrauma.

Mills JD, Hadley K, Bailes JE. Dietary supplementation with the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid in traumatic brain injury. Neurosurgery. 2011 Feb;68(2):474-81; discussion 481.

When you get the quality sleep you need, your body is refreshed, your mind is clear, and you generally feel more optimistic about everything. When you are sleep-deprived, you become sluggish, less responsive and can even feel depressed. Lack of sleep is blamed for such ailments as depression, hypertension, irritability, slower reaction times, and tremors.

 REM (The Sleep Stage, Not the Band)

 REM stands for rapid eye movement and is a reference to the phase of deep sleep where the most restful zzz’s of the night occur. The brain and the body “refuel” during this crucial phase. You get to REM by cycling through four phases of sleep. Once in REM you generally spend an average of 15 minutes there. At the conclusion of this cycle, your brain is generally brought in reverse back to Phase 1, where you will once again slide back again towards another restful REM.

 Do Not Disturb

Sleep is most beneficial when undisturbed. If you’re startled and awoken from your sleep, you can’t pick up where you left off on the way to REM. You have to start all over again. That’s why it’s important to get as many full 90-minute cycles in as you can during the course of one night’s sleep. In fact, ironically, research has shown that if given the choice to either complete just two full cycles of deep sleep (three hours) or be woken up in the middle of your fourth cycle somewhere around five and a half hours of sleep…you would likely feel less groggy and more raring to go in the first scenario than the last.

 In the Cycle

Nine hours would represent six full sleep cycles and 90 minutes of REM. Cutting it shorter than that by even just an hour or staying in bed an extra hour would both lead to an interrupted cycle. Thinking of your sleeping pattern in terms of 90-minute cycles can simplify the formula. Need to sleep in on a rainy Sunday? Extend it to 7 full cycles, or 10 ½ hours. Got a night where you know you’re going to have to study

• Before exercise ? Hydration should begin at least two hours before exercise with 17 to 20 oz. of water or sports drink, followed by 7 to 10 oz. 10 to 20 minutes before exercise.
• During exercise ? Consume 7 to 10 oz. of water or sports drink every 15 to 20 minutes.
• After exercise ? Approximately 20 to 24 oz. of water or sports drink should be consumed per pound of body weight lost during the course, until two hours after exercise has finished.

– Bob Murray, Ph.D., FACSM, Director, Gatorade Sports Science Institute