Straight to the Bar

All Things Strength

HELPING YOU GET STRONGER SINCE 2004

Hormonal Optimization Through Sleep
Posted By Scott Bird

NappingI’ve always been far more interested in sleep quality than quantity, and the latest article by Dave Barr on T-Nation definitely caught my attention.
Dave provides several tips for improving the quality of your sleep, but perhaps more interesting are some of the resources mentioned in the article. These include :
Bedtime Story : John Berardi
Berardi looks at the many nighttime protein powders on the market.
Stop the Catabolic Insanity : Dave Barr
Another look into late night snacks and nocturnal feedings. Currently I occasionally leave a whey + milk shake by the bed overnight, and drink that if/when I wake up in the middle of it. It sounds as though this occasionally should be regularly.
According to the article, strength coach Nick Polasek states that

You want to have your drink right beside the bed, fall asleep, only to wake up 8 hours later to discover your drink container empty.

Sounds perfect – automatic drinking.
Also worthy of further investigation is the tip on napping. I realise that the idea of ‘power napping’ has both loyal followers and ardent skeptics, but I’m yet to see any firm data either way. Still, I do like the occasional (time permitting) brief nap once I’ve reached near-total exhaustion. 15-20 minutes seems to do the trick.

Incidentally, if this has got you thinking about your own diet, you might like to swing by Examine.com. Fantastic site.

Over to you. Drop us a line on Twitter ( @scottbird ), or add a comment below.

Cheers.

 

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Written By Scott Bird
Scott is a long-time fitness enthusiast (Jan 2004!), writer and photographer living in Sydney, Australia. If you share the passion for spending a bit of time under a bar, welcome. Love hearing how everyone else trains. You can connect via X (Formerly Twitter), Facebook and the various networks listed in the sidebar.
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