Need Better Sleep Get Ice

Do you remember the last time you had a good night’s sleep?

I can’t wait to thank the person who invented it, because I want more of it, how about you?  Sleep is one of the best things that you can do for your body and your relationships (my wife says I’m grumpy when I don’t get enough off it, I don’t believe her though and I do argue my point that I’m fine).

In the past, I felt that I was to busy to sleep. I would stay up working on various marketing projects until 1 in the morning, get up at 6 am to go work-out, then start the process all over again. Maddening, I know, but I use to feel that sleep was just something I could put off with enough caffeine pills.

However, I have changed my mind. This year I have a new motto and I have started to simplify and eliminate things from life. I have found out that I have been sleeping like a baby.  Recently, when my head hits the pillow, I’m knocked out like Sonny LIston.

Here is one way that has helped me get better sleep:

Next Time Your At The Grocery Store, Buy Ice.

Did you know that the Japanese have longer lifespans that do most other ethnicities? Timothy Ferriss, author of “The Four Hour Work Week” wrote that one theory has been that regular ofuro or hot baths at bedtime increase melatonin release, which extends lifespan. According to the Stanford professors who taught Bio 50, cold is actually a more effective signaller for sleep onset, but it could have no relation to melatonin production.

Ferriss decided to test the effect of combining 10-minute ice baths, timed with a countdown kitchen timer, one hour prior to bed (closer to bed and the adrenergic response of noradrenalin, etc. won’t allow you to sleep) with low-dose melatonin (1.5 – 3 mg) on regulating both sleep regularity and speed to sleep. The icebath is simple: 2-3 bags of ice from a convenience store ($3-6 USD) put into a half-full bath until the ice is about 80% melted. He said beginners should start with immersing the lower body only and progress to spending the second five minutes with the upper torso submerged (fold your legs Indian-style at the end of the tub if you don’t have room).

The results have fantastic for me, yet my wife stills says I’m grumpy. I guess I need to more ice.

Exceeding Expectations,

Kendall E. Matthews, The Barbecue Apostle ™

Ps. If you like this article? Subscribe to Ms. Piggies’ Smokehouse & Catering Company by Email

Tweet This Post 

You Might Be Interested In This:

• Did you sign up for our Bday Club Newsletter?

Tagged as: ice bath, sleep