We spend a third of our lives asleep, yet all our health depends on this vital process.

Your slumber affects a host of factors ranging from body composition to memory, performance, and mood.

This thread shares the story of my sleep conquest after years of chronic insomnia.
The Sleep Medicine Research journal states nearly 20 to 41.7% of the global population have a sleep disorder, whether it be insomnia or obstructive apnea, narcolepsy, and snoring.

You might be a part of this group, or likely know somebody with those ailments.

I certainly was.
Sleep deprived nights were the norm in my youth. I remember dreading my bed time knowing it would take forever to doze off, if at all.

Every day was the same:

-Get up with an anvil for a brain.
-Be groggy until noon.
-Peak energy when I got to bed.
-Toss and turn until sunrise
As I got older, partying many times a week and caffeine-fueled all-night study sessions masked my insomnia.

They forced me into catch-up sleep mode, yet I still felt like crap every day.

My life would change forever in the Fall of 2011, a few months after graduating.
I started working at a gym full-time with a few regular personal training clients and supervision shifts.

These early morning appointments were a wake-up call.

I knew I had to get my act together to succeed in this business, so I attended a course by Charles Poliquin in NYC.
The world-class strength coach stressed the importance of sleep quality for optimal training results, something I had ignored fully.

He made me see how little I had done on the matter other than complain about it.

And so, a 2-year effort toward the best sleep of my life began.
Now, what worked for me may be different than what you need to improve your sleep.

We all have different physiologies and imbalances that require specific solutions.

Here are 6 lessons gleaned along the way. I hope they help you conquer your slumber:
1/ Patience

The process was frustrating. I expected everything to work instantly, which likely kept me awake in the end.

It took two years before I could fall asleep right away and all through the night.

Be patient. Your body needs time to heal.
2/ Calm

There was no real distinction between active or rest time. I would go to bed fully stimulated, then stress out when the sandman failed to show up.

A nighttime routine and a regular bedtime taught my body to unwind after my day.

- Meditation
- No screens
- Grateful log
3/ Darkness

I used to sleep with a digital alarm clock blasting next to me with a charging cell phone and a laptop. Fake light peeked through my window from outside.

I felt a noticeable improvement after removing all electronic devices and making my room as dark as possible.
4/ Nutrition

My diet was garbage. I ate processed food all day, which bloated me and fueled an inflammation furnace that kept me wide awake.

My lifestyle had depleted me of nutrients.

I learned to cook and nourish myself properly to give my body the building blocks to thrive.
5/ Supplements

I love to learn about supplements and experiment with different protocols:

- Large doses of magnesium, the anti-stress mineral
- Inositol
- Zinc
- Large doses of glutamine repair the lining of my gut, destroyed after years of inflammatory food.
- Oregano Oil
6/ Quality, not quantity

The best way to keep insomniacs awake is to tell them they need 8 hours of sleep to be healthy.

This norm made my racing mind spin faster when I looked at my clock:

''Ok, so it's 4:44 am. I'll get 2 hours and 16 minutes if I fall asleep right NOW! ''
Sleep quality was the first thing to change for me, long before quantity. I noticed how even though it took a long time to fall asleep, the little slumber I did get felt much cleaner than before.

I felt less groggy in the morning and more awake during the day.

Focus on quality.
Fixing my sleep changed my life.

My acuity and productivity skyrocketed, along with my day-to-day performance.

My mood improved. Muscle growth became easier to achieve.

I made sleep a priority, and can now pass out right when my head hits the pillow.

You can do it too.
*Bonus lesson*

Teeth clenching disturbs your sleep quality.

Consider addressing this issue if you have trouble staying asleep, or wake up tired despite having slept through the night.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Alex Bernier

Alex Bernier Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @mythoughtfood

11 Feb
Many lower leg issues stem from negligence.

Your ankles stiffen because you never move them through a full range of motion.

Do these rotations daily to prevent pain and restrictions down the line.

15 clockwise circles
15 c-clockwise circles
Repeat 3x
Combine these Ankle Rotations with some sort of stretch, either against a wall or on a step.

30 seconds/ankle
2 to 3 sets

5 minutes a day keeps knee and lower back pain away.
Weak arches/tight ankles lead to excess stress in the knees. The amount of steps taken in a day creates loads of tension. For some, it is palpable with your thumbs. Some of my clients were unable to withstand even a bit of pressure.

Read 4 tweets
10 Feb
The space behind our knees gets real tense when we walk or run a lot.

There are two important tendons in this area, one from your hamstrings and the other from your Gastroc calf-muscle.

The tension can cause joint pain and mobility restrictions from your hips to your ankles. Image
Sometimes, even a little bit of pressure is enough to trigger a reaction.

Your thumb is the best tool to self-massage. Here are 2 ways to release excess tension:

1- Sit down. Press your thumb on the low end of the space behind your knee then lift your heel up and down 10x.
Hold the pressure as you move.

2- Sit down. Press your thumb on the upper end of the space behind your knee, then extend your leg 10x.

These self-massages won't solve every issue. The excess tension can mimic more serious symptoms such as pain and restricted range of motion.
Read 4 tweets
9 Nov 20
Many of us see bones as an inert structure like steel beams, yet they are very much alive.

Wolff's law states that your skeleton adapts to the stresses placed upon it.

Your bones also make a hormone that control your energy.

How to keep your foundations sturdy as you age:
Many start to lose more bone than can be replaced by the time they turn 30.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation projects that over 64.5 million Americans will suffer from critically low skeletal mass by 2030

This thread presents the role of strength training in bone health.
The 19th-century surgeon and anatomist Julius Wolff found that bones will re-model themselves based on the loads carried over time.

They adapt like muscles.

An inner process called mechanotransduction converts physical loading into biochemical signals that change your cells.
Read 6 tweets
21 Aug 20
Thread of threads to improve your posture and coordination.
1/ How to Stimulate The 12 Nerves of Your Brain:

2/ How Your Eyes And Inner Ear Affect Your Neck Muscles:

Read 14 tweets
20 Aug 20
Our eyes convey a wide range of messages.

A subtle shape shift can turn your gaze from flirtatious to dangerous in a blink.

Perfect synchrony between your eyes and neck muscles is vital to look into a soul and interact appropriately.

You want a steady head with a sharp focus. Image
Eye movement and head posture are controlled by the same part of the brain, your cerebellum.

Your nervous system measures the position of your head with the information sent by your eyes and inner ear.

These three structures have an intimate connection. ImageImageImage
See the connection between your eyes and your inner ear in action:

- Focus your eyes on a mirror ahead of you
- Turn your head to the left then to the right
- Look at how your eyes move

They will rotate to level your gaze with your body as your head moves. Image
Read 6 tweets
9 Jul 20
Our ability to throw needs an equally strong system to absorb the shock.

Think of the recoil of a gun.

Your scapular muscles catch this energy when you propel your arms.

An inability to sustain a blast leads to pain and injury over time.

Shock-proof your shoulders / thread Image
Few of adults who consult me for pain issues have ever strengthened these muscles, other than with a few physio prescribed elastic exercises.

Their joints have lost that shock absorption capacity and can barely hold their arms.

Here are 4 ways to counter this problem: Image
1/ Push-Press with a pause at the top

What goes up must come down, unless your extended arms are in the way.

This exercise is excellent to learn how to start and stop momentum with your shoulders and legs.

Overload your scapular muscles with a 1-3 second pause at the top.
Read 6 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!