TUTORIAL #2 FIX YOUR SLEEP

WHY IS SLEEP SO IMPORTANT? Sleep is the one part of our life that I think we do not get enough of. A huge percentage of us are simply not relaxed enough, nourished enough, or even ready to sleep when it comes round to it. Stress and sleep go hand in hand, when you are stressed you will struggle to sleep, and when you cannot sleep you will increase stress, talk about a viscous cycle!

THE BENEFITS OF SLEEP… The benefits of sleep are endless, yet some people just say they never have time for sleeping, or sleep is for the week/ lazy. Well I will tell you now without sleep you will feel weak and lazy. Sleep helps the body to fully recover and repair from the stress that has been placed on it in the day. It has been proven that sleep can reduce symptoms of dementia, Alzheimer's and other mental health conditions. Sleep will reduce blood pressure

BENEFITS [CONTINED] Sleep improves focus, concentration and drive Sleep will reduce cravings for carbs Sleep reduces stress and improves relaxation Sleep has been proven to reduce risk of cardiac ad immune related disease The list goes on…

SIDE EFFECTS OF POOR SLEEP… Just a few of some of the side effects of poor sleep… Increased blood pressure Adrenal Fatigue (chronically tired) Sweet tooth or feeling ravenous in the morning

SIDE EFFECTS [CONTINUED] High risk of becoming obese, obtaining cardiovascular or autoimmune disease Reduction in testosterone and increase in oestrogen which leads to fat gain and muscle/ bone degeneration Ratty/ moody/ irritable feeling throughout the day [overall reduction in mood] Poor concentration levels, reduction in focus/ motor skills, and the increase of brain fog [the feeling like you just aren’t with it]

‘THE VISCOUS CYCLE’ For me the biggest side effect of all is that you get yourself into a viscous cycle which I think this diagram below shows quite clearly. The issue then is when to STOP the cycle and do something about it. Bad night sleep Low mood Eat poorly all day Don’t want to exercise or train Can’t relax at night

THE CYCLE STOPS NOW… Great night sleep Wake up refreshed and positive In the right mood to eat nutritious food Want to train hard and have extra energy to do the stuff you LOVE. Relaxed at night

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP… It is important that we get off that hamster wheel of a bad nights sleep and make a couple changes to really improve it and get set in ways that become habitual and positive. I could give you well over 30 different ways to improve your sleep but for now I really want you to focus on these 5: 1. Really focus and push yourself on all the points outlined in tutorial 1; this alone will improve your sleep. 2. Cut back on stimulants; such as coffee, sugar, fizzy caffeinated drinks, or alcohol. 3. Get yourself active on the days you are not training; If you are having a ‘rest day’ then get yourself outdoors for a 30 minute light relaxing walk. The increase in oxygen and heart rate will relax you more when it comes round to the night.

IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP [CONTNUED] 4. Sleep in pure darkness; any lights will make your brain think that we are still in day time, therefore switch any bright lights off 30 min’s before you intend to go to sleep. By doing this you are allowing the brain to recognise that it is night time. 5. Turn off all electrics; this includes iPads, phones, laptops, TV’s etc. Instead read a book using a small light 30 min’s before you head to bed. If you have been doing these 5 religiously for 4 weeks and still see no improvement then we will personally try to figure out the problem. You won’t see HUGE changes in a matter of days but you will begin to see an improvement over the space of a few weeks. With that being said make sure you stay positive and stick with your goals. You could use the ‘Habit Development Chart’ [Download] to help with your progression.

TO SUMMARISE… Hopefully I have explained how important sleep is and given useful tips on how to improve it. You will read in more detail in your ‘Lifestyle Diet Manual’ Make this the focus for the next 7 days, use the tips I gave you and give it your all. Remember to download the Habit Development Chart and use that as it will become easier to manage when you monitor it. ‘Anything worth doing is a slow steady process so do not give up if you feel it gets tough.’