How to Sleep Better

2. This is still light, but slightly deeper than stage 1. Scientists believe that this is the stage where your brain does most of its memory organising and processing. This takes up about 45% of your sleep cycle.  

3. This is your deepest sleep period where your body and brain are in their most relaxed state. During this time, your body repairs injuries and strengthens your immune system. Even though it takes up just 25% of your sleep cycle, it’s the one that does the most for muscle recovery and athletic performance.  

REM 

4. Your brain activity is as high in REM as when you’re awake so you’ll experience more intense dreams and your heart rate increases. Cycles of REM sleep can last between 10 - 60 minutes.  

These four stages make up a single sleep cycle, lasting around 70 - 120 minutes. If you manage to get 8 hours of sleep, you could go through four or five sleep cycles per night.   

Benefits of getting enough sleep 

Getting enough sleep is one of the best things that you can do for your body. Sleep regulates hormone production, energy storage and information sorting, so when you’ve had enough sleep: 

• Your cells are restocked for the next day 

• You feel alert  

• You can remember things 

• You feel more focused 

• You find it easier to learn 

• You feel emotionally regulated  

• You have a stronger immune system 

• Your appetite and metabolism are balanced  

How much sleep do I need? 

Sleep is a pretty individual thing and the best way to find out how much sleep you need is to keep track of how you feel and what your body is asking for. As a general guide, adults need 7 - 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.  

Why is sleep important for muscle recovery? 

Prioritising sleep is an Olympic sport - literally. Alongside training and diet, it’s one of the most important things that competing athletes and their coaches think about. And it’s that deep stage 3 NREM sleep which is most important. It’s during this time when your body makes the most of decreased brain activity and movement.  

During this time, your body: 

• Increases the production of the Human Growth Hormone (HGH) to repair, rebuild and regrow muscle fibres 

• Replenishes muscle glycogen stores 

• Regulates the immune system to reduce inflammation  

All of this results in repaired tissue, reduced inflammation and refuelled energy stores, helping you to attack your next workout with strength and stamina – and a lower risk of injury.  

Studies have shown that getting more sleep improved sprint times for college basketball players and that sleep deprivation affected joint coordination and increased fatigue.  

How to sleep better (and does sleep hygiene work?) 

If you’re struggling to get to sleep, adding a new routine into your day can seem stressful, but ‘sleep hygiene’ or ‘a sleep routine’ is a simple suggestion of things you can do to get more sleep. It includes things like:  

• Going to bed and getting up at the same time each day - even on weekends  

• Giving yourself enough time to get your 7 - 9 hours 

• Only going to bed when you’re sleepy 

• Doing things that will help you become sleepy before bed, like having a shower and drinking a herbal tea  

• Steering clear of alcohol and big meals before you sleep 

• Trying not to look at bright lights or electronics close to bedtime 

• Keeping your bedroom cool, dark and quiet  

The good news is that if you’re having trouble with general sleep and getting enough of it at a good quality, sleep hygiene is often enough. For chronic conditions, seeing a GP for additional treatment will help as well.  

Sleep and magnesium  

Not getting enough sleep can make us feel pretty groggy, but it can also have a long-term impact on our health. It limits our muscle growth, stops our muscles from repairing properly, increases our cortisol while also decreasing our protein synthesis which can mean muscle loss, gives us less energy and also worse reaction times. Some studies have linked sleep deprivation to cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and dementia.  

For this reason, people may look to supplements to help them get a better nights rest. Magnesium, specifically magnesium glycinate, is an efficiently-absorbed, natural relaxant which can be taken two hours before bed. It helps you get to sleep faster, wake up less and, because it relaxes your muscles, it can even help with symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome.  

If you’re thinking about taking magnesium glycinate to help you sleep, the best thing to do is to speak to your GP to make sure this is a solution which could work for you and that you’re getting the right dose. We can get magnesium from food and our bodies are able to store up to 25g.  

FAQs  

How much sleep do I need? 

Adults need between 7 - 9 hours sleep per day. Of this, approximately 25% (around 1.5 - 2 hours) should be deep sleep - NREM 3.