Hey packlings đ
Are you worried about sleeping well before race day? What have we learned about Forever Chemicals' impact on sleep quality? Weâve got plenty to cover so letâs get into this weekâs edition of Sleep & Fitness!
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đ„ Why You Shouldnât Sweat Losing Sleep Ahead of Race Day
As race day approaches, many athletes find themselves preoccupied with the idea of losing sleep, often spiraling into worry that it will hinder their performance. According to Preeti Shetty, senior sports scientist, research shows that the body can still perform well, even after a night of poor sleep, especially if sleep leading up to race day has been adequate. So even if you donât catch those precious zzzâs the night before the race, your training and excitement of race day can work magic. The most effective strategy is to try and get between 7.5 to 8.5 hours of sleep per night leading up to race day. This strategy is called âbankingâ sleep, so even in the event you sleep poorly the night before the race, you still have a solid base to work from. If you find yourself stressing about sleep the night before the race, remember to trust the work and sleep you put in leading up.
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đ§Ș PFAS âForever Chemicalsâ Linked to Sleep Disturbances
PFAS are man-made chemicals found in substances such as non-stick cookware or food packaging. According to researchers from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, these chemicals are linked to reduced sleep quality. To explore how PFAS chemicals might affect sleep, researchers used two large databases, The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database and Toxicology in the 21st Century, to look for possible genetic connections. Out of the seven types of PFAS measured, four were significantly associated with reduced sleep or a worse quality of sleep: PFDA, PFHxS, PFOA and PFOS. The researchers used participantsâ blood samples to establish a correlation between 600 genes that were affected by PFAS and certain sleep disorders. Given sleepâs crucial importance in mental and physical health, and the serious health risks associated with poor sleep, this data may hopefully contribute to closer regulation of these âforever chemicalsâ in the environment.
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đČ The Problem with Tracking Sleep Data
While there are flashy apps and devices on the market that track your sleep cycles, stages, and HRV and promote helping you to sleep like a pro, they may be causing many people to lose sight of whatâs truly important - getting quality sleep that leaves you feeling refreshed and healthy. Companies like Apple, Garmin, Oura, Polar, and Whoop have gotten very good at detecting sleep, with the latest consumer wearables typically being 86 to 89 percent accurate at determining whether a wearer was asleep or awake. However, sleep stages, on the other hand, are still a work in progress, with the wearables only getting it right 50 to 61 percent of the time, compared to a lab sleep study. But even as the data improves, the next questionâthe really hard oneâis what we should do with this data? There isnât much action that we can take after one night of bad REM sleep. Instead, for now what we can do is look more broadly at our total sleep, or our trends in deep or REM sleep, and make sure weâre keeping a healthy long-term sleep routine.
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đ€ Can Sleeping In On The Weekends Protect Your Heart Health?Â
While many people might see sleeping in on the weekend as a guilty pleasure, it turns out those extra zzzâs could be your secret weapon for better health. In a study done by State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases those who got a few extra hours on the weekend had a 20% lower risk of developing heart disease. Turns out, those glorious extra hours of sleep arenât just a luxurious escape from adulting - they could be the key to unlocking a healthier you. However, having an irregular sleeping pattern throughout the week has been linked to a higher risk of high blood sugar. So relying on those extra hours on the weekend doesnât completely erase any negative consequences. Instead, think about getting good sleep like having a healthy diet, says Michael Grandner, PhD and Professor at the University of Arizona - having a salad on the weekend doesnât make up for cheeseburgers and pizza all week. So, snuggle up and hit that snooze button on the weekend, but donât give up on your sleep routine during the week either!
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đș Is Bedtime Procrastination Harming Your Health?Â
Procrastinating before bed might feel harmless, but those late-night distractions can rob you of precious sleep, leaving you groggy and foggy the next day. What does healthy sleep look like? Adults go through different types of sleep cycles throughout the night. A good night of sleep means more than just the amount of hours an adult sleeps a night â itâs connected to the quality. Are you sabotaging your sleep? Telling yourself âJust one more episodeâ? According to research, over half of people regularly push back their bedtimes at least two nights a week. This leads to struggles with shorter sleep duration, and has been linked to chronic sleep issues. The inconsistency of your sleep routine caused by procrastination can also cause sleep-related anxiety, meaning you wake up stressed about your lack of sleep. So as hard as it may seem, try to trade in those late-night shenanigans for a cozy bedtime routine.
Thatâs a wrap on this weekâs sleep and fitness news. Remember to follow @lagoonsleep on Instagram for your daily dose of sleep & fitness news and entertainment.
