UNDER THE COVERS

By Miles Patrick Yohnke

© 2012 All Rights Reserved.

Seduced by the pleasure. Oh, my body is a pistol and my mind a lethal weapon within these sheets. I'm starving for more. Lock the door and give me what I crave. For I need a good night's sleep.

Through the course of time, we have never looked at sleeping as ever being considered cool, hip or exciting. You don't hear things like: "Hey, what you doing tonight? Ah, I'm going to get some deep, coma-like sleep. Right on man, that's cool."

Sleep can be a real balancing act, like Philippe Petit on the high-wire. The people that know me well know that I love cycling and train most days for many hours in God's gym (all civilization has free membership). It benefits all facets of my life throughout the day, enriches it, like the lotto.

People sometimes ask, "What are you training for?" My reply is, "Life."

Too, I'm often asked about my nutrition and physical training, but rarely on my amount of sleep. It may seem obvious that sleep is beneficial. Even without fully grasping what sleep does for us, we know that going without sleep for too long makes us cranky and irritable, feel terrible, and that getting a good night's sleep can make us feel ready to take on the world.

The benefits of sleep impact nearly every area of our daily lives. However, most people don't realize how much sleep they need and why it is so important. Scientists have gone to great lengths to fully understand sleep's benefits. In studies of humans and other animals, they have discovered that sleep plays a critical role in the immune system, metabolism, memory,

learning and other vital bodily functions. Our body manages and requires sleep in much the same way that it regulates the need for eating, drinking, and breathing.

Extensive research has been done on the effects of sleep. These studies have consistently shown that sleep plays a vital role in promoting physical health, including keeping your heart healthy and lowering your chances of developing diabetes. It helps maintain our body's ideal weight, reduces stress as well as reduces the occurrence of mood disorders.

This increases our longevity and emotional well-being. It also explains why after a good night's sleep, you feel better, your thoughts are clearer, and your emotions are less fragile. Without adequate sleep, your judgment, mood, and ability to learn and retain information are weakened.

We also know that exercise has a profound impact upon sleep. Up to a reasonable point, the more you ask your body to do in the day, the more sleep is required to recover. This is why endurance athletes in particular, generally need more sleep. However, excessive exercise can actually disrupt sleep so it is important to create a balance. Successful training, particularly for endurance sport, is a balance between physical work and subsequent recovery. It has been said that winning athletes are not those that train the hardest, but those who recover the most effectively.

Training is all about recovery. Each training session causes damage to the body, which must be repaired. Over time, if the recovery is inadequate, the body will eventually break down. Studies support that people who get the appropriate amount of sleep on a regular basis tend to live longer and have healthier lives. This underscores the importance of making sleep a top priority.

As a matter fact, studies have shown that people who drive while sleep deprived is akin to drunk driving. If we just got proper rest maybe there would be less conflict in the world and happier people. For some reason, in society, sleep is not high on the priority list. Not valued. Looked at as a luxury and not a necessity. Why? It is looked at as a form of laziness or weakness. In fact, many judge harshly and make people feel guilty for their sleep requirements. People who say, "You can sleep when you are dead," need to get on the clue bus.

Your body tells you exactly what it needs, and nobody can gauge that for you. Some people even take stimulant medication to keep them going through the day, unable to function naturally due to lack of proper rest. Each person is different, unique, and requires varying amounts of sleep. Listen to your body, not other people's opinion of what your body needs. If your body tells you that you need to take a nap, then by all means take a nap. Don't feel one bit guilty about it.

You can accomplish more from a rested mind and body, than you can from a system that is all out of whack due to lack of sleep. Don't fight that urge to take a nap or sleep in. You will be much more productive and efficient when your body has had a chance to rest, restore, and repair itself during your slumber.

Listen to the wisdom of your body. It knows best. Behold these secrets from the adventures of a rewarding day recalled, with pinpoint clarity that transcends before the night--in the bedroom--under the covers.

Miles Patrick Yohnke photograph & Natalie Struck photograph by Natalie Struck.

Natalie Struck is a multi-media artist based out of Saskatoon, Canada. Her artistic prowess and pinpoint clarity for architectural lines is both thought-provoking and awe-inspiring. For more on her photography please visit her website at http://www.nataliestruck.com