How to Level Up (Your) Sleep

Fallout 3 was my favorite game released on the Xbox 360.

I put in damn near 100 hours of gameplay, including all of the DLC. As I think back to all the hours I put into the game, I realize I skipped over an aspect that would have greatly benefitted my character’s development: resting.

Never once did I rest in a bed while playing Fallout 3.

Resting to recover health seemed really stupid when all I had to do was kill everyone in my path and take items from their lifeless carcasses to heal myself.

However, by not resting, I was actually leaving a ton of experience points on the table.

In Fallout 3, when your character rested for longer than 1 hour, not only were all your limbs repaired and health bar replenished, but you were granted a 10% XP (experience points) bonus for the next 12 hours in the game (that’s hours in the game, not real time).

Pfft, who needs bonus XP and a FREE way to heal your character?

Idiot.

Sadly, when it came to my own sleep in real life, I never took it seriously either.

One of the most important tools you need to pack in your quest for fat loss, muscle gain, or living a more overall healthy life is sleep.

Yet, many of us get less than sufficient sleep and then pound 5 Hour Energy, coffee(s), or Monster/Red Bull all day just to get us to five o’clock.

Sleep Makes You More Awesome (and Sexy)

One study found that young men who slept less than five hours a night had 10-15% less testosterone produced in their bodies. Guys, if you want to burn fat and build muscle you are going to need your T levels in their optimal state, not to mention low T can really affect your overall self-esteem.

Ladies, sleep is just as important for you as well. According to The American Heart Association, heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States.

Women who toss and turn more than men may be more likely to develop hypertension. Constant high blood pressure as experienced with hypertension can lead to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), stroke, and more.

There are other factors that can develop from not getting adequate sleep, which can start a never ending cycle of destruction.

Lack of sleep increases the likelihood of suffering from depression, anxiety, it can increase your hunger levels which can make weight loss harder, and due to impairing our bodies ability to handle glucose it can put all of us, men and women, at a higher risk for type-2 diabetes.

All of these things can cause even more stress, anxiety, and fear and thus push us all further down a dangerous path.

I get it.

We are all “busy”.  We all have responsibilities that take up our time.

I have been there and for far too long left sleep for the weekend or holidays. Getting serious about your sleep though can make your quest for health far easier and provide more value to your overall well-being.

The 7 tips in this episode, will help you get serious about sleep and provide an extra XP boost to your fat loss and life.

7 Tips to Level Up Your Sleep