2014

The 3 R’s of Sleep: Rest, Recovery and Rebuild #SleepHack

The 3 R’s of Sleep: Rest, Recovery and Rebuild #SleepHack
[caption id="attachment_15019" align="alignright" width="320"] Not getting enough sleep? Try one of these #SleepHacks Not getting enough sleep? Try one of these #SleepHacks[/caption]

Let’s talk about a perfect “ day-in-the-life ” of the Weekend Warrior:

All week you manage your commitments, you make it to yoga, spin class and the gym every other day, you meet work deadlines and you manage to have a couple of nights out with friends and family. Unfortunately to make everything fit, you've skipped out on sleep – shaving a couple of hours a night, you feel fine, but know the weekend is jammed with fun, family, friends and FANTASTIC adventures! Sleep is not on the priority list… Sunday night rolls around and you’re spent, feeling exhausted and fully depleted, all you can think about is your warm, cozy bed. But it’s almost midnight and you have to be up at 6 to get ready to repeat it all over again. Sounds fun doesn't it?

Listen, you’re a weekend warrior through-and-through, Monday to Friday you work hard, but come the weekend you play harder. I get that. For many, this goes on for years and years, but then one day, life happens. Responsibilities like career, family and social obligations to friends take over, and one of the first things to go is our sleep. But that’s ok, right? After all, we can sleep when we’re dead ?

Wrong. Think again. Remember last month when we explored the compound effect of lack of sleep , we learned what happens to our body and mind when we don’t sleep.

In fact, the compound effect of sleep deprivation (aka Sleep Debt) can be felt in many areas of our lives. Walking Dead isn't too far from the truth when you take into account that nearly 60% of the Nation’s adults and children report they feel tired most of the time.

Feeling tired all the time? 4 effects of not getting enough quality sleep



  1. Miss the little (and big) stuff : Your brain slows down, you pay less attention to details and the less quality sleep you get, the more your you hinder your brain’s cognitive abilities even when taking on the most basic of tasks. Mistakes will happen more and more, as your mind finds it more difficult to handle intensive activities.

  2. Strike out : like your mind, your body slows down as well if quality REM sleep is not achieved. What might have been a basic task for you before is now more challenging; reflexes are hindered and limit

  3. Where did I park my car? If you work in a technical role or are required to pay attention to details, you might want to go back to basics. Short term memory deteriorates drastically when we are lacking in quality sleep.

  4. My body is hurting! During sleep, the body works diligently by way of many biological systems to heal, rejuvenate and regrow the parts that have been taxed through regular life.


If there’s 3 words which you MUST associate with sleep, they are Rest, Recovery and Rebuild. If you don’t remember anything else about this post, just know that each of these are three massive benefits of getting “normal” levels of sleep.

Top 5 #SleepHacks



Top 5 #SleepHacks to make sure you get an awesome Sleep



  1. Create a routine. Consistency is King ( and Queen ) – try to get as close to a normal 8 hour night’s sleep when you can and make sure to create a routine of going to bed at the same time each night. Your body will find a natural rhythm

  2. Turn off the lights. Daylight is for morning – avoid bright and ambient light when trying to go to sleep, including computer, phone and television screens, especially near bedtime.

  3. Eat this, not that. Avoid any stimulants before bed; this includes caffeine, sugar and alcohol – all of which will make it difficult to reach a beneficial state of REM sleep. Eat a little protein right before bed, this will help with the 3 R’s of sleep.

  4. Get under the covers before 10 pm . Deepest and most regenerative sleep happens between 10 pm and 2 am, so get to bed earlier to reap the benefits. Just a few benefits to note: increased metabolism, more effective repair of injured or depleted tissues and of course, to get one night closer to feeling AWESOME!

  5. Pay down your sleep debt . If you have a huge sleep debt, set aside a couple of nights to book a few extra hours of shut-eye. You want to pay down this debt as fast as you can or become an extra for cast of Walking Dead.


Restonic Social Media In conclusion, don’t let sleep debt get you down. Just make some extra deposits, start a few of the above hacks and feel the benefit. Being a weekend warrior just got easier! Hoorah!

This post is the second in a series of six, which will explore all aspects of sleep and your health. In conjunction with  Restonic , we’ll be discussing topics that will help you improve the quality and duration of your sleep, which will affect your quality of life now and of course well into your future.

Eager for more sleep info you can really use? Visit Restonic.com  or check them out on  Facebook  and Twitter  and let’s continue the conversation.

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you are awesome - really “Just so you know, I have been compensated to share my ideas on this topic. Sometimes it is in the form of products, or services or even money… But here’s the thing; I won’t  share anything with you that I don’t fully support. It doesn't matter what it is, or how much they are willing to give me, if I don’t believe in it, It won’t be on my site. Seriously. You’ll just have to trust me on this.”   ~ Moose

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  2. Texas A&M University. Health Hints: Sleep. From http://fcs.tamu.edu/health/healthhints/2009/feb/sleep-part1.pdf

  3. Sleep Journal (Volume 32, Issue 03). Banking Sleep: Realization of Benefits During Subsequent Sleep Restriction and Recovery. From

  4. National Sleep Foundation (2006). Sleep-wake cycle: Its physiology and impact on health [on-line]. Retrieved August 5, 2008. From

  5. American Association for Retired Persons (2008). Improving sleep: A guide to a good night’s rest, consequences of sleep deprivation [on-line]. Retrieved August 6, 2008. From http://www.aarp.org/health/conditions/articles/harvard_70_IS1007.html#sect.3.0

  6. American Association for Retired Persons (2008). Improving sleep: A guide to a good night’s rest [on-line]. Retrieved August 6, 2008. From http://www.aarp.org/health/conditions/articles/harvard_70_IS1007.html

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  8. Mayo Clinic (2006). Sleep and health: How many hours of sleep are enough? [on-line]. Retrieved August 5, 2008. From http://mayoclinic.com/health/how-many-hours-of-sleep-are-enough/AN01487

  9. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (2007). Brain basics: Understanding sleep [on-line]. Retrieved August 5, 2008. From http://ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/understanding_sleep.htm#how_much

  10. National Sleep Foundation (2007). How much sleep do we really need? [on-line]. Retrieved August 5, 2008. From

  11. National Sleep Foundation (2007). What happens when you sleep? [on-line]. Retrieved August 5, 2008. From

  12. American Association for Retired Persons (2007). Improving sleep: A guide to a good night’s rest, sleep mechanics [on-line]. Retrieved August 6, 2008. From http://www.aarp.org/health/conditions/articles/harvard__improving-sleep-a-guide-to-a-good-night-s-rest_1.html

  13. National Sleep Foundation (2008). Myths – and facts – about sleep [on-line]. Retrieved August 5, 2008. From

  14. National Sleep Foundation (2007). Ingredients for slumber: How food and beverages may affect your sleep [on-line]. Retrieved August 5, 2008. From {32BB1322-7AE9-425A-B9D9-5B43BF2FF9C9}&notoc=1

  15. National Sleep Foundation (2008). Let sleep work for you [on-line]. Retrieved August 5, 2008. From


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