By Katie Welborn, Nutritional Therapy Practitioner

Most healthy adults need somewhere between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night - yet most of us fall short of this recommendation, night after night. A recent poll found that Americans get an average of 6.8 hours of sleep each night - just shy of the 7 hour minimum recommendation.

Some sleep experts argue that, just as active individuals and athletes have higher energy needs due to their increased activity, these folks also need more sleep to allow the body additional time to recover.

Just like nutrition, SLEEP is one of those not-so-sexy-but-incredibly-effective-and-largely-overlooked aspects of performance. I read somewhere once that, “the race is won in bed” and that really stuck with me.

Each night as you sleep, your body cycles through stages (Stages 1, 2, 3, 4 and REM). During Stages 3 and 4 (your deepest stages of sleep), growth hormone is released and cortisol is regulated. These stages occur in longer periods during the first half of the night.

During this time, the body repairs and regenerates tissues, builds bones and muscle, and strengthens the immune system. The regulation of cortisol is especially important to athletes, as cortisol levels directly impact the body’s ability to digest glucose.

Quality and quantity of sleep can impact many other aspects of health & performance, including...

Reaction times
Motor function
Learning & memory
Motivation
Concentration
Hunger
Injury risk
Illness susceptibility

Sleep experts recommend 7-9 hours for adults, and 9-10 hours for adolescents and teens. If you fall asleep within 20 minutes of going to bed, and wake up without an alarm, you’re probably getting enough.