I AM A FAILURE. Yes, I failed. I did not reach my goal of 56 hours of quality sleep this week. I got 55 instead. I may have failed but I still won. The benefits of getting the proper amount of sleep are well known: more energy, better mood, decreased risk of many diseases and conditions, yadda, yadda, yadda. If you read "Some Sleep Tips from a Professional" (see below) you know that getting quality sleep is more important than just getting a lot of sleep. This means not getting up in the middle of the night. This is best done by avoiding drinking a lot prior to sleeping, and also by taking part in a stress reducing activity like reading prior to going to bed.
Today, more and more people are trying to get ahead, and they think they can get more done by cutting sleep out of their day. After just a week of getting an average of 7.8 hours of sleep I feel much more alert and I feel that I was more efficient while I was awake, therefore; I got more done than I thought possible. I feel more energetic, am able to work out better, am in a MUCH better mood (ask my wife), and just generally feel better overall. It has only been a week so far, but I can definately recommend that if you want to get more done, get more sleep.
My sleep breakdown:
Sunday - 8
Monday - 8
Tuesday - 7.5
Wednesday - 6.5
Thursday - 7
Friday -8
Saturday - 10
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Some sleep tips from a professional
So I treat a sleep doc every so often and I have to say I really enjoy getting professionals' opinions about "recommended" anything: recommended caloric intake, recommended amounts of activity, recommended protein (hot topic), recommended sleep, etc. This doc has tons of great info to talk about and all I can bring to the table are my personal experiences, but none the less, it's always an enjoyable conversation. A couple points that he really emphasized are:
1. 6-8 hours of sleep is what most people require. Most people differ in their needs, so 8 isn't always the best.
2. It is not just the amount of sleep you get, but the quality of sleep you get. He states that sleep aides are great if you just want to shut your eyes for 8 hours, but not the best if you want to feel rested and refreshed.
3. Sometimes getting 4 hours of sleep is better than 6. If you require 8 hours of sleep a night you will go through two circadian rhythms. If you wake at 6 hours, you could be in the middle of REM sleep which will make you feel groggy when you wake up. If you wake up after 4 hours of sleep at the end of your first circadian rhythm (not in REM sleep) you will feel better when waking up. Note: He also states that you will still be more tired at the end of the day with this method.
In high school and for most of college, I noticed that I could get about 4 hours of sleep and function at a reasonable level. My father has been the same way his whole life. But lately I have been getting 5-6.5 and still feeling groggy. Upon waking from a nap last weekend I decided, "I am going to get an average of 8 hours of sleep a night for the next week and see how I feel". Well I am 5 nights deep and things are looking up. I'll go into some more specifics at the end of the week but so far I am at about 37/40 possible hours- averaging 7.4 hours/night. Let me tell you, IT MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE! On Sunday while watching the Pats hopefully beat up on the Titans I will divulge a little more. Until then, try to get some rest, because when we rest, our bodies build.
1. 6-8 hours of sleep is what most people require. Most people differ in their needs, so 8 isn't always the best.
2. It is not just the amount of sleep you get, but the quality of sleep you get. He states that sleep aides are great if you just want to shut your eyes for 8 hours, but not the best if you want to feel rested and refreshed.
3. Sometimes getting 4 hours of sleep is better than 6. If you require 8 hours of sleep a night you will go through two circadian rhythms. If you wake at 6 hours, you could be in the middle of REM sleep which will make you feel groggy when you wake up. If you wake up after 4 hours of sleep at the end of your first circadian rhythm (not in REM sleep) you will feel better when waking up. Note: He also states that you will still be more tired at the end of the day with this method.
In high school and for most of college, I noticed that I could get about 4 hours of sleep and function at a reasonable level. My father has been the same way his whole life. But lately I have been getting 5-6.5 and still feeling groggy. Upon waking from a nap last weekend I decided, "I am going to get an average of 8 hours of sleep a night for the next week and see how I feel". Well I am 5 nights deep and things are looking up. I'll go into some more specifics at the end of the week but so far I am at about 37/40 possible hours- averaging 7.4 hours/night. Let me tell you, IT MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE! On Sunday while watching the Pats hopefully beat up on the Titans I will divulge a little more. Until then, try to get some rest, because when we rest, our bodies build.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Rome wasn't built in a day
First, sorry it's been so long. No excuses.
I happened to treat a particular patient this past Tuesday who is my muse for this post. She is an older woman, between my mom's age and my grandmother's age, who initially began being treated 3 months ago for shoulder pain. She says that her shoulder and thoracic spine have been bothering her for the past 5 years. Finally, she thought it was time to start doing something about it over the summer. Unfortunately, for her, she is a very busy women- too busy to come in and see me on a regular basis. As in, she came for 3 visits over the first 6 weeks. On that third visit, I received the always wonderful question that seems to only come from "these" patients, "Why am I not healed?"
Imagine the blank stare on my face. As a physical therapist I hear this question a lot, but it usually comes from patients who:
1. Only came to PT because their doctor told them to
2. Only want hot packs, ultrasound, massage, and stim (HUM-merS for short). Sorry people, you have to go somewhere else to get your hummers
3. Do not do their home exercise program (HEP)
4. Are not used to working hard for results
After having the same old conversation with this patient, we determined that she does not do her HEP, and she has continued to perform activities that cause her constant pain and muscle guarding. Not surprisingly, she has been more consistent with her HEP, her visit scheduling, and her overall adherence to her "plan of care", and she is feeling much better!
As a young and motivated physical therapist it is my routine to tell all patients what their plan of care will be, what the expected treatment course will be, what I expect of my patients, and also ask what they expect of me. It is my responsibility to make sure my patients get complete honesty, and know what to expect from physical therapy WITH ME. Like all professions, there are some among us who just go through the motions, and I hope to never become one of them.
The point is, and this applies to fitness professionals too, that as a patient/client if you do not put in the work, how can you expect the results? When you've been training someone for months and ask "can you show me how you've been doing [exercise A]?" and they say "Huh?" personal trainers must have the same feeling. More and more people are expecting immediate results from their personal trainers and physical therapists, and it is our job to let them know that it is the work they put in at home, when we are not there, that truly makes them better. 5 years of shoulder pain and after only 3 visits (1 of which was an evaluation) over 6 weeks my patient expected to be better? Crazy. Seriously guys, Rome wasn't built in a day.
I happened to treat a particular patient this past Tuesday who is my muse for this post. She is an older woman, between my mom's age and my grandmother's age, who initially began being treated 3 months ago for shoulder pain. She says that her shoulder and thoracic spine have been bothering her for the past 5 years. Finally, she thought it was time to start doing something about it over the summer. Unfortunately, for her, she is a very busy women- too busy to come in and see me on a regular basis. As in, she came for 3 visits over the first 6 weeks. On that third visit, I received the always wonderful question that seems to only come from "these" patients, "Why am I not healed?"
Imagine the blank stare on my face. As a physical therapist I hear this question a lot, but it usually comes from patients who:
1. Only came to PT because their doctor told them to
2. Only want hot packs, ultrasound, massage, and stim (HUM-merS for short). Sorry people, you have to go somewhere else to get your hummers
3. Do not do their home exercise program (HEP)
4. Are not used to working hard for results
After having the same old conversation with this patient, we determined that she does not do her HEP, and she has continued to perform activities that cause her constant pain and muscle guarding. Not surprisingly, she has been more consistent with her HEP, her visit scheduling, and her overall adherence to her "plan of care", and she is feeling much better!
As a young and motivated physical therapist it is my routine to tell all patients what their plan of care will be, what the expected treatment course will be, what I expect of my patients, and also ask what they expect of me. It is my responsibility to make sure my patients get complete honesty, and know what to expect from physical therapy WITH ME. Like all professions, there are some among us who just go through the motions, and I hope to never become one of them.
The point is, and this applies to fitness professionals too, that as a patient/client if you do not put in the work, how can you expect the results? When you've been training someone for months and ask "can you show me how you've been doing [exercise A]?" and they say "Huh?" personal trainers must have the same feeling. More and more people are expecting immediate results from their personal trainers and physical therapists, and it is our job to let them know that it is the work they put in at home, when we are not there, that truly makes them better. 5 years of shoulder pain and after only 3 visits (1 of which was an evaluation) over 6 weeks my patient expected to be better? Crazy. Seriously guys, Rome wasn't built in a day.
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