HE SAID:
Bobby
Sleep: I have to tell you along with exercise and nutrition, sleep is equally, if not more important, for our brains and bodies. It's necessary for recovery from hard work, long days, stress, playing hard and training even harder. To sleep well is to live well! To be able to create well! With great sleep, we get to wake up energized and take on anything that comes our way.
I am fortunate to have set up my life in a way that most days I get to sleep naturally. This means I go to bed when I'm tired and wake up when I'm rested. My sleep time is usually 8 to 9 1/2 hours and even 10 1/2 to 11 hours happens several times a month, depending on how active the day was. Any sleep less than 7 hours is not enough for me. I am an early to bed, early to rise guy. Waking most days just before sunrise. Carpe diem... to seize the day! This is what I love. I'm like a kid who wakes up and cannot wait to get outside. For me there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all the amazing things that life has to offer.
In the U.S. it is said that at least 40% of the population does not get enough sleep (at a recommended 7 to 9 hours) with children and teenagers needing even more. With more sleep you will have the benefits of a better life! Here is a list of them: It raises your testosterone levels, boosting libido for both men and women. You'll be happier. You will have healthier skin and fewer signs of aging. You will be able to build muscle easier, by your body releasing your own natural growth hormone to repair cells, tissues, eyesight, hearing, our brains, hearts and lungs. All the functions of our body are repaired with a good nights sleep. Stronger immune system preventing colds. Memory and faster and higher learning skills.
SHE SAID:
Mariel
For me, to be energetic and happy I organize my life in a particular way. I find time where I would otherwise be stressing over plans undone or future desires unmet to focus on being present. When your brain is in the here and now it is calm. How I wake up in the morning becomes the template for a day well lived and a night well slept. I am mindful, grateful, slow and quiet in the AM. I usually awaken with the sun, if I have gone to sleep early enough the night before.
Sleep heals and rejuvenates my body. It purifies my thoughts and regenerates my brain function. It also helps me defy the aging process. At night my body can relax, recharge and rejuvenate. I used to believe that I was more efficient without a lot of sleep. Bobby made me realize that wasn’t true. Now I get 8 to 9 1/2 hours of shut-eye and I LOVE it.
I also take a short nap during the day and still welcome a long night of sleep. Because, like so many, I have a stressful life so I make sure I create a sleep environment on the inside (my physical body and brain) and the outside (the actual environment I am sleeping in) that is conducive to rest. I exercise everyday, eat well, and do something called Brain Wave Optimization to ensure a peaceful brain and restful night. Exercise makes it so my body is physically tired at bedtime, (it is like when my girls were babies, I would exhaust them so they would fall asleep easily and remain asleep all night). I eat a clean un-processed diet and drink no more caffeine by the late afternoon.
Oh delicious sleep how I adore you now!