First off, lets look into GABA! GABA is known as the ‘downer’ neurotransmitter that counters glutamate and has a tough time crossing the blood brain barrier. GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter of the CNS. It is well established that activation of GABA(A) receptors favors sleep. Three generations of hypnotics are based on these GABA(A) receptor-mediated inhibitory processes. The first and second generation of hypnotics (barbiturates and benzodiazepines respectively) decrease waking, increase slow-wave sleep and enhance the intermediate stage situated between slow-wave sleep and paradoxical sleep, at the expense of this last sleep stage. The third generation of hypnotics (imidazopyridines and cyclopyrrolones) act similarly on waking and slow-wave sleep but the slight decrease of paradoxical sleep during the first hours does not result from an increase of the intermediate stage. It has been shown that GABA(B) receptor antagonists increase brain-activated behavioral states (waking and paradoxical sleep: dreaming stage). Recently, a specific GABA(C) receptor antagonist was synthesized and found by i.c.v. infusion to increase waking at the expense of slow-wave sleep and paradoxical sleep. Since the sensitivity of GABA(C) receptors for GABA is higher than that of GABA(A) and GABA(B) receptors, GABA(C) receptor agonists and antagonists, when available for clinical practice, could open up a new era for therapy of troubles such as insomnia, epilepsy and narcolepsy. They could possibly act at lower doses, with fewer side effects than currently used drugs (1.)
Second, we look into taurine. Taurine is an organic acid which acts as a lipid/membrane stablilizer in the body and is one of the major inhibitory amino acid neurotransmitters in the brain along with the previously mentioned GABA. When Taurine reaches the brain, it interacts with GABA receptors in the thalamus which is involved in controlling how much sensory information is forwarded to the processing cortex of the brain. Its in this way that taurine is more like a depressant than a stimulant and results in a suppression of excitatory activity. Lin et al stated in a paper entitled the “Effect of taurine and caffeine on sleep–wake activity in Drosophila melanogaster” that “Taurine is a GABA receptor agonist, which is inhibitory to neuronal firing. We show here that flies receiving a low dose of caffeine (0.01%) increase locomotor activity by 25%, and decrease total sleep by 15%. Treatment with taurine at 0.1% to 1.5% reduces locomotor activity by 28% to 86%, and shifts it from diurnal to nocturnal. At 0.75%, taurine also increases total sleep by 50%. Our results show that taurine increases sleep, while caffeine, as previously reported, attenuates sleep. Flies treated with both caffeine and taurine exhibit two differential effects which depend upon the ratio of taurine to caffeine. A high taurine:caffeine ratio promotes sleep, while a low ratio of taurine:caffeine inhibits sleep to a greater extent than the equivalent amount of caffeine alone” (2.)
Last, we look into Mucuna Puriens. Mucuna Pruriens are beans that are a good source of L-DOPA. One of the main reasons I’m a big fan of mucuna pruriens is because of their ability to induce a feeling of well being which aids in cortisol reductions and clearly is a good choice when looking at improving your quality of sleep. Shukla et al stated “This study included 60 subjects who were undergoing infertility screening and were found to be suffering from psychological stress, assessed on the basis of a questionnaire and elevated serum cortisol levels. Age-matched 60 healthy men having normal semen parameters and who had previously initiated at least one pregnancy were included as controls. Infertile subjects were administered with M. pruriens seed powder (5 g day(-1)) orally. For carrying out morphological and biochemical analysis, semen samples were collected twice, first before starting treatment and second after 3 months of treatment. The results demonstrated decreased sperm count and motility in subjects who were under psychological stress. Moreover, serum cortisol and seminal plasma lipid peroxide levels were also found elevated along with decreased seminal plasma glutathione (GSH) and ascorbic acid contents and reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activity. Treatment with M. pruriens significantly ameliorated psychological stress and seminal plasma lipid peroxide levels along with improved sperm count and motility. Treatment also restored the levels of SOD, catalase, GSH and ascorbic acid in seminal plasma of infertile men. On the basis of results of the present study, it may be concluded that M. pruriens not only reactivates the anti-oxidant defense system of infertile men but it also helps in the management of stress and improves semen quality” (3.)
There are obviously more tremendous sleep aids when it comes to supplementation but GABA, Taurine, and Mucuna Puriens are three that are easily in my top ten favorite sleep ingredients along with melatonin, l-theanine, and a few others. Luckily, GABA, Mucuna Puriens, melatonin, and l-theanine are all in RedCon1’s sleep product Fade Out which also contains other ingredients to aid in growth hormone support, getting you into a deeper REM sleep, as well as to improve muscle recovery!
Alex Kikel
MS, PES, CPT, Speed and Explosion Specialist Level II
Owner of www.theprepcoach.com
References
“The objective was to observe modifications in energy intake and physical activity after acute partial sleep deprivation in healthy men. Twelve men [age: 22 +/- 3 y; body mass index (in kg/m(2)): 22.30 +/- 1.83] completed a randomized 2-condition crossover study. During the first night of each 48-h session, subjects had either approximately 8 h (from midnight to 0800) or approximately 4 h (from 0200 to 0600) of sleep. All foods consumed subsequently (jam on buttered toast for breakfast, buffet for lunch, and a free menu for dinner) were eaten ad libitum. Physical activity was recorded by an actimeter. Feelings of hunger, perceived pleasantness of the foods, desire to eat some foods, and sensation of sleepiness were also evaluated. In comparison with the 8-h sleep session, subjects consumed 559 +/- 617 kcal (ie, 22%) more energy on the day after sleep restriction (P < 0.01), and preprandial hunger was higher before breakfast (P < 0.001) and dinner (P < 0.05). No change in the perceived pleasantness of the foods or in the desire to eat the foods was observed. Physical activity from 1215 to 2015 was higher after sleep restriction than after 8 h of sleep (P < 0.01), even though the sensation of sleepiness was more marked (P < 0.01). One night of reduced sleep subsequently increased food intake and, to a lesser extent, estimated physical activity-related energy expenditure in healthy men. These experimental results, if confirmed by long-term energy balance measurements, suggest that sleep restriction could be a factor that promotes obesity.” But this is just the beginning. Not only can it be very closely linked with obesity but its hormonal effects are astounding!
First, we should look at testosterone levels in a study from Leproult et al on the effects of 1 Week of Sleep Restriction on Testosterone Levels in Young Healthy Men. After 1 week of 8-hour bedtimes (from 11 PM to 7 AM) at home, the participants spent 11 days in the laboratory for 3 nights of 10-hour bedtimes (from 10 PM to 8 AM; rested condition) followed by 8 nights of 5-hour bedtimes (from 12:30 AM to 5:30 AM; sleep restriction). Sleep was recorded each night and visually scored in stages 1, 2, 3, 4, and rapid eye movement (REM). Blood sampling every 15 to 30 minutes for 24 hours was initiated after the second 10-hour night and after the seventh 5-hour night. Samples were assayed for total testosterone and cortisol using an immunochemiluminescent assay (Immulite, Los Angeles, California). (To convert serum testosterone to ng/dL, divide by 0.0347; to convert serum cortisol to μg/dL, divide by 27.588.)
References
First, I’d like to apologize to my body. Sorry for taking advantage of the hours I used to sleep and think it wasn’t enough. As a mom, non-parents who say “I’m tired” makes me laugh. Unless you’re in the military or another job that requires 48-hour shifts and then STILL get only interrupted chances for sleep, you don’t know what “I’m tired” is. Imagine a nursing, wailing newborn, up every 2 hours for a MINIMUM of 45 minutes and then back to sleep, only to wake 2 hours later. And on continues this 24/7 cycle. It’s incomprehensible.
Now that I have you. Incorporate fitness into this schedule. I feel like this has to be why doctors suggest 4 to 8 weeks before resuming activity – your sleep schedule alone hinders any recovery you would need from your workouts. And you would need that opportunity for rest. Which again, is nonexistent.
Now, fast forward. (As I’m writing this my daughter is napping, which I should be doing as well, but can’t because I can’t seem to sleep – shocker.) How can we incorporate exercise on such little sleep? Sleep is when your body recovers. If you Google “sleep and health,” it says:
“Sleep plays an important role in your physical health. For example, sleep is involved in healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels. Ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.”
If you miss one night of sleep, your blood pressure the next day is elevated. To sleep is to repair. HGH is released by the brain into the blood and initiates the restorative function of sleep. HGH released during the night is released in the first few sleep cycles and research has shown that sleep deprivation can throw this off and eliminate the HGH bursts we get. We need this as it’s released and used by our muscles to initiate recovery and re-energize our bodies. Not to mention the loss of REM sleep when you don’t go through each stage of sleep cycle. (Four to be exact.) Basically, the body suffers. Period.
Back to Mom Wendy not Science. How do we survive? For myself, it seemed impossible to get on a schedule and discover routine. Fitness wasn’t priority the first year of Faviana’s life because everything revolved around nursing. Which HURT. But what I could control is what I ate. It helped that the first 13 months, my daughter was allergic to dairy, eggs, soy, gluten, nuts, legumes, citrus, and seafood. I literally ate berries, sweet potatoes, fresh veggies, chicken, and ground beef. Every day. That was it! When I was allowed to add those allergens back in my diet, the scale decided to follow suit – I gained a good 10 to 15 pounds. JOY. So I had to start over. Re-evaluate what I was putting into my body – for me this time. I so easily kept a clean diet when it could affect Faviana.
Why wouldn’t I continue to help myself and keep things clean for me? Why do we end up hurting and being detrimental to ourselves? It took a bit but I took action. I knew I needed help. Disclaimer: I know the following isn’t for everyone. But I reached out to Shannon Dey with Team Bombshell, my prior competition team I joined back in 2011 after 3 years of competing in bikini with other coaches. I wasn’t getting where I needed and my body started fighting me. I needed help then most because my hormones were crashing. My most important objective at the time was feel like myself again. They did just that. Because of my hormones I was told I would have a tough time conceiving when we were gonna start trying and amazingly (and I feel truly because of the help of Bombshell) it happened literally the first month we truly tried. From there I took a break from Bombshell since I didn’t plan on competing anytime soon and the morning sickness prevented me from doing LITERALLY anything physical or eating properly. In reality I should have stayed on a plan during my pregnancy. Maybe then I wouldn’t have had such a rough one. (That will be another blog!) Regardless, my advice is to learn to know yourself and know when to ask for help. Even the best of the best have guidance. Team Bombshell has been and always will be that guidance for me. I didn’t just want them to help me. I NEEDED them to help me. I needed direction.
My body was and still is fighting me. But now I’m fighting back and fortunately I’m not alone. I have my incredible coach Gennifer Strobo supporting me along the way. Even my sleep. It’s amazing how the body works when you care and understand what’s happening. Most importantly, and I know ALL women can relate to this – when you do have the opportunity for help…LISTEN. Words aren’t spoken to fall by the wayside. These professionals get paid to help you. So listen to the goods you’re buying. It’s their job to know how the body works and learn how your body will respond. So when you feel like “tweaking” something yourself, just DON’T. Listen and take direction. And enjoy the process. For the life of me I can’t understand why it’s such a struggle to follow directions. Maybe for some it’s a control thing, but it actually can’t get easier than someone spelling it out for you. Right?! Just follow it. As for adequate rest, I don’t think any mother knows the meaning until you become an empty nester and even then, I know from my own mother – we always worry. It’s in our job description. So do what you can. Staying active provides more energy than oversleeping. Remember that the next time you want to skip some physical activity. (I do, literally 20 times a day.) And know it will pay off in the long run. THAT is worth moving my ass.
Wendy Capurso
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