What a 5-letter word.  Some folks immediately go into a state of bliss thinking about it.  Others get anxiety thinking about what they may not get done while they take a few hours to recharge.  It’s free, available (24) hours a day and comes highly recommended, but many of us don’t take advantage of this God send and all its glory.  I too remember a time when I was proud to say I only needed a handful (or less) of hours to get by.  Staying up past midnight was not only a norm, it was the standard.  I didn’t want to be (1) of those old folks that went to sleep before 9pm.

Young and du.. (Naïve)

But that was in my 20’s with very little in the way of responsibility and I also had a work schedule that held me hostage until 10:30 to 11:30 at night.   I’d leave work and either go play basketball, poker, go eat or out drinking and for a good chunk of that time; I’d also have to go to class at 8:00 in the morning as I pursued my undergrad degree.  I honestly look back on it and can’t fathom how I did it with such grace and poise.   

And Now

These days I reverse engineer when I go to sleep, based off when I plan to get up in the morning.  Those start anywhere from 3-4am most days and I’m in the gym by 5am.  With the goal of 8-hours of sleep, that very well entails that I’m in the bed as early as 7pm but almost always no later than 9pm.  If your math is like mine, that equates to 7-8 hours of sleep, every single night and even more on the weekends.  If you’re frowning reading this or perhaps are asking the question “why”, the answer is actually quite complex and will likely leave us with a part 2 but I’ll start with some of the basics.

Testosterone

You have to be living under a rock to not know, see or have read about the epidemic we’re going through as men on this particular subject.  Compared to our grandfathers of yesteryear; some of us are walking around with HALF of what Paw Paw had.  At its core, testosterone is what makes a man a man.  Now, just so we’re clear, both males and females have testosterone but that in men is (should be) 10 times or more, greater than women.  It’s importance lies in how much it controls and contributes to:  Just to name a few we’re talking about mood, weight, energy, libido and morning wood, strength, sharpness and mental focus, sleep, drive, leadership, money making ability, confidence and the list goes on.  One of the easiest ways to plummet your testosterone is by way of not getting enough slumber.  Constantly getting 5-6 hours of sleep can literally tank your testosterone levels by 15-30% and the ONLY way to get it back to normal (naturally) is to add those precious 2-3 hours consistently back into the rotation.

Weight Gain and Water Retention

If you’re from the South, you know it’s celebrated to be called a “big man”.  But don’t get it twisted:  The big that folks are referring to looks like the definition of strength.  This is not to be confused with the guy that can’t see his shoes without kicking them out in front of him or to the side to gain a better vantage point.  What I’m trying to say here is the lack of sleep contributes to water retention and over time leads to inflammation and that inflammation manifests itself into visceral fat (fat around your organs) and next thing you know you’re unknowingly playing the role of the Pillsbury Doughboy.  That 7-9 hours is literally like a reset button and you’ll be please with what you see in the mirror a lot better after you wake up, if you know what I mean.

The Crutch

Regardless of what time you arise, it’s safe to bet that you’ll be at it for a good 12-18 hours.  In my opinion, that’s a long time to be miserable, tired and irritable.  Many of us have taken to supplementing with getting energy on demand in the form of caffeine.  This is the most used drug in the world but is marketed and masked as a health supplement.  Sure, there are some benefits beyond energy and depending on how it’s taken can also offer things like antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory effects, but make no mistake that the overwhelming majority of people use and depend on it to start their day and in some cases keep their entire day afloat.  Notice how far the line wraps around Starbucks, McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts every morning?