Exercise and nutrition are widely recognised as the two pillars of health. However, sleep is often overlooked as a central health component.
Sleep is vital to our well-being, mood, and general health—yet for decades we have neglected ourselves of the rest our bodies desperately need.
Now in 2020, we are broaching the conversation about sleep more and more. Each pillar of health plays a unique and complementary role in our general wellbeing. So, sleep, nutrition and exercise are inseparably linked to one another.
For instance, if we are sleep deprived, we make poor food choices, our athletic performance suffers, and our mood is compromised.
How & Why Is Sleep So Important?
During sleep, our body and brain start to restore and the human growth hormone responsible for muscle and bone repair is released by the pituitary gland. As well as this, the stress hormone – cortisol – decreases dramatically allowing our minds and bodies to naturally relax.
During sleep, our body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate also dip to their lowest points in the 24-hour cycle. – This drop is critical for maintaining healthy blood pressure and lowering our risk of adverse cardiovascular events.
Ultimately the better sleep you get, the more enhanced your ability is to recover from the day before.
Sleep & Performance: How Much Do We Really Need To Succeed?
Sleep works in partnership with wellbeing and exercise. Insufficient sleep can result in physiological changes to how we metabolize and synthesize foods and lead us to perform poorly due to less vigour, intensity, and efficiency.
We know the importance of this which is why our brand ambassador for 2020 is Jessica Ennis-Hill – someone who knows all about the very real link between high performance and quality sleep.
As an Olympic, European and three-time world champion heptathlete, Jessica Ennis-Hill is now a British sporting icon.
Since those electrifying moments on the track, Jessica now has a busy life as a working mum of two young children. As such, she knows the benefits of sleep being part of a world-class training programme or as the necessity of parenting and ensuring family wellbeing.
“Sleep matters. Whether I’m exercising, doing the school run, or at work, I know that sleep is the thing that makes my busy life possible. It’s the one thing that we all need to be at peak performance. That’s why I’m proud to be Sleepeezee’s ambassador. Their beds are expertly designed and made to the highest standards to ensure the very best sleep, meaning we can all have a great day, every day.”
As you can see sleep is a critical piece of any high performer’s routine— follow us on our journey to help connect these three pillars of health and end the sleep crisis within the UK.
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