Unless a man gets enough sleep then his performance is likely to be sadly lacking. Not just sexual performance
either. Work performance, creativity, reaction time, and mood all become worse when we're tired.
Although it's
not entirely clear why we need sleep, the effects of sleep deprivation justify trying to get enough.
The amount of sleep
needed depends upon the individual and their age. Some men manage on four or five hours sleep a night. On average seven, eight,
or nine hours of sleep a night is what the majority of young and middle aged men need to stay bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
during the day. As we get older we tend to need less sleep.
For peak performance during the day about four or five
90-minute sleep cycles are needed to rest and re-charge the brain. Each cycle combines deep sleep that brings rest, and REM
(rapid-eye movement) sleep during which it's believed brain chemicals are released that help tasks such as learning to
be performed more easily.
If you can answer 'no' to all of these then you are probably getting enough sleep:
- Do you sleep longer than usual on the weekends?
- Do you feel drowsy or nod off during the afternoon?
- Do you fall asleep within around 5 minutes of being in bed (It takes people who are getting enough sleep around 10-20
minutes to fall asleep)?
| Tips on getting good sleep: |
| Go to bed and get up at the same time everyday, including your days off. Keep your bedroom for sleep and sex, not work and TV and not too hot, cold, noisy, poorly ventilated or
full of tobacco smoke. Avoid heavy meals, caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol for 3-4 hours before
going to bed. Don't exercise within 3 hours of bedtime. De-stress
each evening before you go to bed with a spot of relaxation. |
Most
of us need at least 7 hours sleep regularly every night, but we all need more at times, particularly after illness or during
time of growth or stress. The other important aspect of sleep is not the length of sleep but the quality. You may get 7 hours
regular as clockwork but if it is poor quality then your body isn't getting proper rest.
So check that you
get to bed early enough to get the hours you need. Quality of sleep is more difficult to check. One of the main reasons for
poor quality sleep, especially among men, is a condition called obstructive sleep apnoea. Collapse of the airways (because
of a large flabby neck, poor muscle tension or, in children, large tonsils and adenoids) when you sleep means that the intake
of oxygen is blocked. As oxygen levels in the blood fall, so your brain starts to wake you up to try to get more air and oxygen
into the lungs and blood. This sets up a pattern throughout the night of hundreds of mini "waking up and falling asleep"
episodes. In fact you may never get right down into deep sleep, so you are then tired and performing poorly all day.
Signs that this may be your problem include loud snoring, being overweight.
