As anyone who understands fitness can tell you, one of the most important parts of your exercise routine is your recovery time. The more strenuous the workout the more recovery time the body needs to replenish cells and build resistance. Sleep is a vital part of any exercise program. A good, restful, regenerative sleep should be part of every athletes plan.

According to nutrition specialist Andrew Wood, 70% of your recovery happens during sleep.

A 2003 study performed by the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine demonstrated that cognitive performance declines for most people with fewer than eight hours of sleep. Sleep is divided into two broad types: Rapid Eye Movement (REM) and Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) or “Non-REM” sleep, which has different levels. Each type has a distinct set of associated physiological, neurological and psychological features.

Sleep cycles through the night with deep sleep early on and more REM, toward morning or later in the cycle. In humans, each sleep cycle lasts on average 90 to 110 minutes. Each phase of sleep may have a distinct physiological function. Drugs such as sleeping pills and alcoholic beverages can suppress certain stages of sleep, leading to sleep deprivation. This can result in sleep that exhibits loss of consciousness but does not fulfill its physiological functions.

Timing is a big part of sleep. You body’s inner clock (also known as the circadian clock) is critical to determining the proper amount of time an individual needs for each sleep cycle. It is this circadian “rhythm” which determines the ideal timing of correctly structured and restorative sleep. You become sleepy when the circadian internal clock causes the release of the hormone melatonin, and a gradual decrease in core body temperature. Furthermore, too much or too little sleep can lead to severe health issues including cardiovascular disease, obesity, hypertension and diabetes.

It has been shown in studies that loss of sleep can cause detrimental effects to the immune system and to your metabolism as well. Sleep abnormalities can also lead to psychological disorders such as depression, addiction and bi-polar disorder. So in every way, sleep is important to the mind and body and REM sleep seems to be extremely important, especially to children and young adults. REM sleep in adult humans typically occupies 20-25% of total sleep time, or about 90 to 120 minutes of sleep each night. Vividly recalled dreams mostly occur during the REM period.

A good night’s sleep is required for good health, fitness and alertness. Yet sleep often gets short shrift when the discussion is on fitness and workouts. “Sleep is one of the two most important factors in recovery” says nutritional expert Andrew Wood. “Proper nutrition and sleep are the only real issues when it comes to proper fitness. That goes for whatever type of training you do – whether you are a tri-athlete, long distance runner or power lifter.”

Professional Fitness Trainer and former Mr. Florida, Corey Simpson also acknowledges the need for a restful, restorative sleep. Corey maintains a rigid workout routine and trains hard. The results are obvious. He recommends to all his clients that they pay close attention to their diet and to their sleep. “Nothing is more important” says Simpson. In looking for a supplement that would help him not only build muscle and gain energy, he discovered an amazing product called Stemulite Fitness Formula. One of the things that attracted Simpson to Stemulite was that it had a sleep component. “Stemulite also gives you a great sleep which is so important for recuperation.”

Stemulite is all natural and contains nothing that is harmful or will cause grogginess during the day. It contains Melatonin, which as we know, is the body’s natural sleep inducing agent. Athletes who have tried Stemulite report that they sleep better, wake up rested and energetic and recover better from strenuous exercise faster.

As another Stemulite user has said, “It has helped me with my sleep; it has helped me with my strength, my workout recovery, muscle endurance and my overall energy and sense of well being.” Those last words “sense of well being” are key because when you get better sleep you have better peace of mind, think clearer and are generally more responsive. According to one study, reported on NBC News, almost all the participants in the study said they slept better and one even reported that he had stopped taking Ambien, a commonly prescribed sleep formula for the first time in six years.

Stemulite is available in a men’s and women’s formula and, even with the other benefits of its exclusive formula, the fact is that the enhanced sleep benefit may be its most important aspect of all.

Turner et al. allowed 18 women and 22 men to sleep only 26 minutes per night over a 4-day period. Subjects were given initial cognitive tests while well rested and then tested again twice a day during the 4 days of sleep deprivation. On the final test the average working memory span of the sleep deprived group had dropped by 38% in comparison to the control group.

Memory also seems to be affected differently by certain stages of sleep such as REM (Random Eye Movement) and slow-wave sleep (SWS). In one study cited in Born, Rasch, and Gaismultiple, groups of human subjects were used: wake control groups and sleep test groups. Sleep and wake groups were taught a task and then tested on it both on early and late nights, with the order of nights balanced across participants. When the subjects’ brains were scanned during sleep, hypnograms revealed that SWS was the dominant sleep stage during the early night representing around 23% on average for sleep stage activity.

The early night test group performed 16% better on the declarative memory test than the control group. During late night sleep, REM became the most active sleep stage at about 24%, and the late night test group performed 25% better on the procedural memory test than the control group. This indicates that procedural memory benefits from late REM-rich sleep whereas declarative memory benefits from early SWS-rich sleep.

This study found that during the post-trial sleep recording session, rats spent 25.47% more time in REM sleep after learning trials than after control trials. These trials support the results of the Born et al. study, indicating an obvious correlation between REM sleep and procedural knowledge.

The different studies all suggest that there is a correlation between sleep and the many complex functions of memory.

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As it is sold as a dietary supplement in the USA, not as a drug, often in grocery, health food and some drug stores, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations that apply to medications are not applicable to melatonin. As there are no regulated manufacturing standards in place, purity, safety and efficacy of the various melatonin products may not have been assessed.

Melatonin is practically nontoxic and appears to exhibit almost no side effects in the short term, up to three months, when healthy people take it at low doses. A systematic review in 2006 looked specifically at efficacy and safety in two categories of melatonin usage: first, for sleep disturbances which are secondary to other diagnoses and, second, for sleep disorders such as jet lag and shift work which accompany sleep restriction.

These Canadian researchers found no trials showing evidence of effects on sleep onset latency in subjects with secondary sleep disorders or in subjects with disorders accompanying sleep restriction. Seventeen randomized, controlled trials with 651 participants showed no evidence of adverse effects of melatonin with short term use. The study concludes: “There is evidence that melatonin is safe with short term use.” In most of their analyses they are able to state that there is no significant difference between melatonin and placebo; even the most common adverse events reported; headache, dizziness, nausea and drowsiness; did not significantly differ for melatonin vs. placebo.

A similar analysis by the same team a year earlier on the efficacy and safety of exogenous melatonin in the management of primary sleep disorders found that: “There is some evidence to suggest that melatonin is effective in treating delayed sleep phase syndrome,” and that evidence suggests that melatonin is safe with short-term use, three months or less.

Some unwanted effects in some people, especially at high doses (~more than 3 mg/day) may include: headaches, nausea, next-day grogginess or irritability, hormone fluctuations, vivid dreams or nightmares and reduced blood flow.

While no large, long-term studies which might reveal side effects have been conducted, there do exist case reports about patients who have taken melatonin for years.

If taken 30 to 90 minutes before bedtime, it advances the period of melatonin’s presence in the blood. Melatonin can cause somnolence (drowsiness), and therefore caution should be shown when driving, operating machinery, etc.

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During sleep, specifically REM sleep, your body repairs itself from all the damage inflicted on your body during daily activities. In fact, your cells divide and multiply at a much faster rate during REM sleep than while awake.

According to Michael J. Sateia, MD, Medical Director of the Sleep Disorders Service at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H, “It’s essential to life. If you disrupt the sleep cycle, you could face grave health repercussions throughout your body.” In other words, start messing with the sleep cycle, and lots of things — metabolism, hormone levels, and blood pressure — go out of whack. Sleep loss has been associated with:

• Heart Disease
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Obesity
• Depression
• Infection
• Accidents

As seen on NBC News Channel 8, Metabolic Research (MTBR OTC.BB) has developed its unique and patented Fitness Formula, powered by Stemulite. Because sleep is a primary requirement to good fitness, the Fitness Formula is designed to directly support the part of your Endocrine system responsible for deep sleep.

Don’t be confused, Stemulite is not a tranquilizer or relaxant. Stemulite is an all-natural nutraceutical that maximizes the effectiveness of your natural body functions.

Among other components, Stemulite contains Indium, a rare trace mineral that puts your HAP (Hypothalamus, Adrenal, and Pituitary) system in optimal functionality. This optimal gland and hormone performance will not only cause a deep and restful sleep, but increase metabolism to burn fat and decrease weight, and produce a sustained increase in energy level for the next day.

Visit www.Stemulite.com to learn how you can achieve higher quality sleep.