BryantheRyan.com Challenging conventional wisdom about nutrition, fitness and overall health

Sleep: Waking up early and embracing the nap

Waking up early sucks. Our eyes are caked shut with sleepies, eye boogers or what ever you'd like to call them, the warm covers and the softness of our beds whisper in our ears "I'm warm and comfortable, you don't want to go out into the cold. Just hit the snooze button again." Well again turns into five or six "agains" until we reluctantly barrel role out of our beds. In our half conscious state we either crawl or stumble to the shower or the coffee pot.

Most of us are stuck in this routine, yet we can’t find the energy to change it.  That was me for the past 8 years of my life. Sad? Pathetic? Normal? Yes. At some point in the last year, fed up with my old ways, I decided that I would voluntarily start waking up earlier. I was not only going to do it, but I was going enjoy it! Yeah, that lasted a couple of days and then my damn bed and the hope that I would again return to the fantasy land of my dreams called me back.

However, when I actually did wake up early I realized that I actually enjoyed being up early. That is once I got up.*

*If you are wondering what time my "early" was, 8-9 AM is an accurate guess. I know, rough.

This cycle of "early" rising went on until the summer began. Then I had to get up for work at five in the morning. Awesome. This could explain why the last three summers that I have worked at this job seem to have gone by in a blur of tiredness. Seriously, all I can remember about my summers is reading books and wishing I was asleep.

What about hanging out with friends? Well yeah I did that, but my Friday and Saturday nights usually consisted of me drinking 3 or 4 beers and passing out with my chin in my chest and drool running down my clothes. Fun.

Luckily I am a college student and when September comes around I can pop out of my summer funk and actually sleep and be productive.

About a month ago I decided that I was going to become an early bird, for good. Steve Pavlina, who runs a very successful personal development blog called Personal Development for Smart People, gave me the necessary tools I needed to accomplish this.

He points out two very important cycles that our bodies go through on a daily basis.

One is the natural sleep and wake cycle. We go to bed when our bodies tell us to and we wake up whenever our bodies tell us to wake up. Pretty simple.

However, in our modern world we can not allow this cycle to happen. Unless you have the luxury of making your own work hours, or are unemployed of course. Jobs, classes and appointments throw a wrench into this natural cycle.

There is another sleep cycle, which almost all of us follow, and that is the sleep-when-all the-crap-I have-to-do-is-done-and-wake-up when I have to 1) go to work or class or 2) when ever the dog or kids wakes us up-cycle.

Obviously our natural sleep cycle is the most logical cycle to follow if we want to obtain optimal rest for our bodies. Because this is impossible, we need to combine both our real life cycle and our natural sleep cycles.

Steve Pavlina devised a very simple yet effective way of doing this. Their are two steps. 1) Go to bed when ever you want and 2) wake up at the same time everyday. No matter what. This creates a cycle of gain and loss, which results in a happy medium in our bodies. Stay up late one night? Then naturally our bodies will tell us to go to sleep earlier the next night and vice versa.

Yes. I now do this. My new wake time is roughly 6:45 AM. The sun comes up a little after I get up. I find that going to bed when its dark and waking up when its dark is very depressing. So I have vowed to wake up when the sun comes up. Forever.

This is not an easy habit to create. It takes a lot of self motivation and desire to voluntarily* wake up early.

* I use the term voluntarily because my Dad recently brought to my attention that if you owe money to somebody (for a house, car, education, etc.) then waking up early for work is much easier. He has done this for roughly the last 24 years of his life.

Some days I go to bed at midnight and others I'm out cold by 9 or 10 pm. Steve advises doing this for at least 30 days. This will create a habit.

I have been following this way of sleeping for a month, and it has not been too strict.  But, a week ago. I went to bed at 2 in the morning. I was drunk and decided to tell Steve Pavlina, and his sleep cycle from hell to shove it where the sun don't shine. I was going to bask in the warmth of my bed and sleep as long as I wanted to. I could wake up at 10, 11, 12 it didn't matter!

I woke up at 7.

What about the 7-8 hours of sleep that is recommended by doctors and everybody else in the public eye?

They are wrong.

Lets break this down simply and logically. Every single person on planet earth is genetically different.

We all react differently to the sun, food, exercise, alcohol and drugs. Why should the amount the sleep we get on a daily basis be any different?

I know many people who can function, think and be happy with only 4-5 hours of sleep a night. I also know people that sleep for 10-14 hours a day as well.

The amount of sleep our individual bodies needs varies based on the individual. There is no universal amount of sleep that will fully rest every single human being on planet earth.

Here are the 3 4 reasons why I love getting up early.

1) My days seem to last forever.

2) Because I live in a house with 5 guys, silence is about as rare as seeing Oprah without makeup. The early morning is quiet and peaceful.

3) I am incredibly productive. I get much more done during my day now. Whether it be school work (rarely), learning how to play the guitar, or even improving my typing speed.

4) If you think sunsets are beautiful, you should check out sunrises. Amazing.

If I can become an early riser, anybody can. When I was in high school I made a promise to myself that if I ever had a commitment that was before 10 AM then I was going to wake up at a maximum of 20-30 minutes beforehand. Even before school. Obviously I did not shower or clean myself up before I left. I ate a pop tart, smeared toothpaste on my teeth and went on my way. Bed head and all. I was a prize.

I am now going to elaborate more on another natural sleeping cycle. Napping.

Oh the nap. Who honestly doesn't love a solid nap? To bad napping has gotten such a bad rap in our society. Many people assume that if your tired in the middle of the day then "you didn't get enough sleep last night." Again, false assumptions.

Through out our day we use different hormones and bodily systems to deal with situations that arise in everyday life. Around mid-day the systems that control reaction time, memory, coordination, mood and alertness diminish. This phenomenon happens regardless of food consumption or the temperature at mid-day.

For those who have never been to Spain, and actually a majority of other European countries do this as well, they have what is called a siesta. At mid-afternoon, all the shops, restaurants and businesses close down so everybody can go home and nap. Why do I not live in Spain!? Maybe some day

Again, lets break this down logically. Most mammals on planet earth nap. Humans are mammals, obviously. We are made to nap.

How long should we nap for?

I have done some research on this and found an informative newspaper article in the Boston Globe that explains the relationship between nap times and sleep activity (REM sleep and Slow-wave sleep).   A mid-afternoon nap should be no longer than 45 minutes. Any more and you will feel drowsy and groggy. Naps should provide you with a clear and rejuvenated mind. Increased productivity and performance have been linked to taking an afternoon siesta.

Obviously if 45 minute is too long, adapt your nap time to your specific needs.

There are all sorts of different napping techniques available for us to try. Obviously we can simply nap. But there are also naps called caffeine naps. These naps require you to drink a cup of coffee (or other caffeinated beverages) before a 20-30 minute nap. Caffeine takes 20-30 minutes to stimulate the body, so when you wake up after 20 minutes you are ready to rock and roll.

Naps are not for everyone. But if you feel groggy and tired in the middle of the day, don't fight it. Nap.

If you are not an early riser, give it a try and see how it goes. You won't regret it. If you already wake up early and are tired all day, then start listening to your body and go to bed earlier. You might have to sacrifice watching American Idol...but life does go on and your body will happily thank you.

Another random thought on sleep. Have trouble falling asleep? Try wearing socks to bed. In a study that was conducted to find the keys to a good nights sleep such as listening to white noise and sleeping on an empty stomach, the scientists actually found a factor that was consistent with not sleeping. Cold feet.

Also, if hitting the snooze button is a morning ritual for you, try putting your alarm clock device across your room. This forces you to physically get up and turn it off. Sometimes getting out of bed is the hardest part of waking up.

Sweet Dreams,

- Ryan