�8 Tips for Quality Sleep� by Edith Chan, L.Ac.                                                   Dec 2007.

The winter off-season is here. Besides reflecting on the past year and setting goals for the new one, it's also the ideal time to create lifestyle habits for good health and optimal performance. One of the health-preservation principles emphasized in Traditional Chinese Medicine is the idea of �living in harmony with nature�. Winter is the season of hibernation and restoration.  For athletes, quality sleep and rest in the winter will help prepare our minds and bodies for peak performance in the race season ahead!

Here is 2000-year-old advice from the ancient medical text �Yellow Emperor's Cannon of Internal Medicine� -

�If one fails to adapt to the natural energy of the winter which is 'restoration', he will be prone to muscular weakness and cold extremities in the spring. This is because his adaptability to springtime's energy of 'generation' will be weakened due to his inability to follow the natural property of winter energy which is 'shutting and storing' to preserve health.�

In modern times, scientific research has also come to show us the vital importance of sleep and rest. The evidence is clear that lack of sleep can create a myriad of health problems.  Consider the following �

l        Long-term sleep deprivation is associated with accelerated aging and increased risk of type2 diabetes, high blood sugar, obesity, and memory loss.  But just one week of sleep-deprivation alters hormone and blood sugar levels, creating a pre-diabetic state in healthy volunteers.  (The Lancet; Oct 23, 1999)

l        During sleep, our brain restructures and consolidates memories, enhancing our ability to solve problems and become more insightful. (Nature; Jan 22, 2004)

l        Decreased sleep is associated with increased levels of the stress hormone Cortisol and decreased levels of Growth Hormone. Growth Hormone deficiency is related to reduced muscle mass and strength, increased fat tissue, and weakened immune function. (JAMA; Aug 16, 2000)

l        Sleep deprivation alters the hormones levels of Leptin and Ghrelin, increasing appetite, promoting weight gain, and slowing the body's metabolism. This may explain why sleep-deprived subjects have higher BMIs. (PloS Med; Dec 7^th 2004)1

l        When compared to subjects who sleep 8 hrs a night, women who slept 5 hrs or less per night had 45% greater chance of heart disease. (Archives of Internal Medicine; Jan 27, 2003)

l        High levels of the sleep hormone Melatonin, which also influences Estrogen secretion, is believed to be one reason why blind women have a 36% lower risk of breast cancer than sighted women. (British Journal of Cancer; Mar 2001)

l        Sleep disruptions decreases the body levels of Natural Killer Cells, lowering immune function and increasing susceptibility to infections. (Psychosomatic Medicine; 1998)

Ok, you get the idea!  So how can we achieve the best quality sleep?

Below are my �8 Tips for Quality Sleep� --

1) Get to bed no later than 10 or 10:30pm. Our bodies naturally do most of its recovery work from 11 pm and 1am.  When asleep, this is the time when the liver and gallbladder dump out toxins, adrenal glands restore themselves, and growth hormone level peaks to promote healing of muscles and connective tissues.

2) Listen to your body. While most adults do best with 8 hours' sleep per night, each individual is different. Furthermore, your needs will change with the seasons, your age, and training volume. So it is up to you to find your own personal optimum!

3) Sunlight during the day, complete darkness in the night.  The sleep hormone Melatonin is influenced by cycles of light and darkness. The easiest way to regulate Melatonin levels is to maintain a bright daytime environment, dim the lights 1-2hrs before bed, and create complete darkness for sleep (e.g. Use an eyemask).

4) Avoid caffeine & alcohol. If you happen to be a slower metabolizer of caffeine, even a morning cup of coffee could linger in the system at nighttime. So if you have difficulty sleeping, caffeine should be avoided.  Alcohol might make you drowsy, but it also keeps you from falling into the deeper stages of sleep, where most of the body's healing and restoration takes place.

5) Moderate exercise; beware of overtraining.  Regular moderate exercise (30mins a day) helps people fall asleep. But workouts too close to bedtime can be stimulating and keep you awake.  Note that during the training season, insomnia can be a sign of overtraining.

6) Avoid big meals or large amount of water right before bed.  Eating dinner too close to bedtime can make it difficult to fall asleep. Also drinking too much water right before bed may disrupt your sleep with trips to the bathroom. (Note: in general, good hydration is helpful for sleep. So do stay hydrated throughout the day.)

7) Create a relaxing bedtime ritual and environment. Some ideas to consider � take a hot bath before bed; try journaling or reading a relaxing book to settle the mind; practice a short relaxation breathing meditation. Avoid watching TV too close to bedtime, especially the news or suspenseful violent shows! Make the bedroom a TV-free and work-free zone, and maintain a comfortable temperature (not too hot or too cold).

8) Seek medical help. If you struggle with insomnia and these simple tips do not help, then you should see a qualified medical professional. Insomnia can be a symptom of medical conditions such as hormonal disorders, anxiety and depression, side-effect from medications, etc... Also, note that for the treatment of insomnia, there are highly effective natural supplements and herbal medicines which do not cause dependence or side-effects commonly found in conventional drugs. Naturopathic Doctors, Acupuncturists/Herbalists, Osteopaths (D.O.), Chiropractors, and Nutritionists are some of the healthcare professionals most well-trained in natural medicine.

Happy holidays! May great sleep help to make your athletic goals come true in the New Year!

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Athletes

By Edith Chan, L.Ac

As an athlete and practitioner of holistic medicine, I am continually finding ways to leverage both Eastern and Western medicines to help athletes maintain balanced health and peak performance.  In truth, they each have strengths and weaknesses and can work together beautifully and synergistically.  Modern Western biomedicine provides a detailed scientific understanding of disease and the ability to deliver fast-acting results in relieving symptoms or saving lives via drugs or surgery.  In contrast, Traditional Chinese Medicine stems from 5000 years� observation of how climate, environmental and pathogenic factors, diet, exercise, lifestyle, and emotions can affect health and disease.  The result is an elegant system of natural medicine emphasizing the holism of the human being and ways to maintain harmonious balance and optimal health.  In the area of athletic training, the Martial Arts tradition also offers sophisticated insights that remain applicable today.   

Because of its perspective on holism and balance, Chinese Medicine is especially suited for providing answers where modern biomedicine sometimes falls short (e.g. when imbalances in the body are not severe enough to raise red flags in imaging or lab tests, yet patients are suffering from symptoms).  As athletes interested in optimal health and peak performance, not just the �lack of disease�, I think we have much to benefit from this kind of proven ancient wisdom. 

Here�s a highlight of valuable lifestyle principles from Chinese Medicine:

1)      Maintain balance between stress and recovery, work and rest.

2)      Mind-body-spirit as one � every movement, every thought, every action is a manifestation of one�s vital energy.

3)      Live and train in accordance with climate and the four seasons.

4)      Women � modulate lifestyle/activities according to the menstrual cycle.

5)      Moderation and balance in diet and nutrition � use food as medicine.

6)      With disease and injury, PREVENTION is always best.

In upcoming months, I hope to share with you more detailed discussions of these lifestyle tips from Chinese Medicine to help you maintain great health, prevent illness, and promote optimal sports performance.  Rather than being esoteric or �new-agey�, I believe you will find these ideas to be quite tangible and practical!

Edith Chan holds a four-year graduate degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is a CMT specialized in orthopedic bodywork. She is currently in the process of becoming a Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist in the state of California. Edith has been a triathlete since 1998.

Living & Training with the Seasons    by Edith Chan, L.Ac. December 2006

In the last Hypercat newsletter, we introduced a broad array of lifestyle tips from Chinese Medicine which can help us achieve optimal health and sports performance.  Amongst them was the advice to live in harmony with changing weather and seasons. As we prepare for the new year, now�s a great time to put these ideas into action!

If you pick up any book about Chinese Medicine, you will undoubtedly come across a section about living in accordance with the seasons. The ancient Chinese were mainly farming people who lived in tune with the rhythm of nature. By adapting their lifestyles to climate and seasonal changes, they discovered they were able to live longer and healthier lives. In time, Martial Arts masters also adopted these ideas and found that they improved athletic performance and prevented illness and injuries.

The basic principle is as follows:  In the spring, the earth�s energy expands, flowers blossom, and our body�s energy also grows. This is the time to begin diligent fitness training. Stretch, strengthen and activate the body. Give it the chance to become strong and limber. In the summer time, the earth energy flourishes and so too should our power and athletic performance. This is the best time for our fitness to reach its peak for competition.  Be sure to drink plenty of fluids and allow the body to sweat and release extra heat.

During the fall, the earth�s energy begins to contract, and athletes should gradually taper off training. Once winter arrives, plants become dormant and animals hibernate. We, too, should conserve and restore our energy in preparation for next year. It is still beneficial to stay moderately active and prevent the body from becoming too stiff or stagnant. Gentle and low-impact exercises such as Tai Chi or Yoga are recommended.  Dress warmly to prevent the cold weather from damaging muscles and joints.  Traditionally, this is the time Martial Artists emphasize skills and technique development rather than strength or fitness.  For triathletes, this seasonal training cycle also works very well.

Here in San Francisco, our weather patterns can be quite unpredictable. So besides observing seasonal changes, it is also important to fuel up and dress appropriately for outdoor training in variable weather.  In my clinical practice, I find that the most stubborn and slow-healing chronic injuries are with patients who expose their injured joints directly to windy/cold/damp elements during outdoor workouts. In cold conditions, the body�s metabolic and healing rates slow down, joints become stiff and painful, and athletes risk re-injury.  However, as soon as the athletes start to dress appropriately to keep joints warm and covered, and take more gradual warm-ups, the injuries would always heal quickly! Even if you have no injuries, know that you are much more likely to stay healthy by dressing appropriately and respecting your body�s need for longer warm-ups in cold conditions.

I hope you find these ideas simple and easy-to-apply.  By modulating our lifestyle and training strategies in accordance with changing climates, we can greatly minimize illness and injury and maximize our athletic performance!  

Edith Chan, L.Ac. is a Licensed Acupuncturist, Herbalist, and Certified Massage Therapist specializing in Holistic Sports Medicine.  She holds a four-year graduate degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and maintains a private practice in San Francisco.  Edith has been an avid triathlete since 1998.  http://www.EdithChanAcupuncture.com