By,  Elizabeth Kayfish,  Athletic Mentors Coach

Deep sleep, also known as slow wave sleep, is the combination of stage 3 and 4 of your sleep cycle. During this time your body is calm and has no muscle or eye movements².  This type of restorative, restful sleep
comes right
before your REM cycle, and getting a good dose of deep sleep is important because tissue repair is at its fastest during this time⁴. Many people who find themselves not feeling rested after the night have missed
out on the essential deep sleep. Although the hormones responsible for this type of sleep lessen as you get older, research studies have found a few alternatives to increase your time in this stage⁴.  Here are so tips so you can feel a little more refreshed in the morning!

1. Stay away from the alcoholic beverages before bed to ensure you reach your full sleep potential. Alcohol, which often tends to make one fall asleep fast, prevents deep sleep from occurring².
2. Exercise is the cure all! Several studies have shown that exercising, both anaerobically and aerobically, can increase the amount of time you are in deep sleep. A good workout and an active lifestyle can promote deep sleep length; just be sure not to exercise too close to bedtime⁴.
3. Have some naturally scented lavender soaps, lotions, candles and/ or oils around before bed. Sensory therapy, like aromatherapy, has been shown to improve one’s night rest. A recent study showed increases in the percentage of deep sleep in a night after the use of lavender oils³.
4. Keep the carbohydrates light at dinner and before bed. Studies have shown that compared to a carbohydrate heavy meal 4 hours before bed, a very light carbohydrate meal increased the percentage of time in deep sleep cycles¹.
5. Try to eliminate stressors throughout your day and before bed. You cannot control the age-related factor of decreasing deep sleep with age, but you can create a stress-free environment before you go to sleep to counter the effect. Try to have a regular pre-bedtime schedule and unwind with a bath, book, or soothing music⁵.

References

1. Afaghi, A., O’Connor, H., and Chow, C.H. (2008). Acute effects of the very low carbohydrate diet on sleep indices. Nutr. Neurosci. 11: 146-154.
2. Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep. (n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2016, from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/understanding_sleep.htm
3. Goel, N., Hyungsoo, K., and Lao, R.P. (2005). An olfactory stimulus modifies nighttime sleep in young men and women. Chronobiology International: The Journal of Biological and Medical Rhythm Research, 22, 5. DOI: 10.1080/07420520500263276
4. Sleepdexorg. (2016). Sleepdexorg. Retrieved January 31, 2016, from http://www.sleepdex.org/deep.htm
5. The Mysterious Benefits of Deep Sleep. (n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2016, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sleepless-in-america/201010/the-mysterious-benefits-deep-sleep

After month’s of long days and hard work, Athletic Mentors has finally moved to a new home.  We are grateful to our clients for tolerating the short comings of our past facility where we planted our feet for the past 4 years.    The new location will enable us to continue to do all that we do, even better.  We will continue to offer high performance training and coaching while also reaching out to all levels of ability to introduce more people to the joy of sport and healthy lifestyle

We’ll ask everyone to “pardon our dust” as we finish renovation of our new yoga room and classroom.  Phase 2 of our the project will include construction of new locker rooms and showers.   In the meantime, our clients will enjoy that they no longer need gloves to touch the dumbbells in the winter months (current and past customers know what I mean).  Parents will find a very comfortable and warm lobby with internet access, should they choose to wait while their athletes train.

The new facility can be found at 8610 North 32nd Street in Richland (just around the corner from our old location).  We don’t have a sign yet so look for the Athletic Mentors flag. We are between Rogers Heating and Cooling and the Dentist office on the east side of 32nd Street.