At the same time, the brain is going wild. Vivid dreams light up the mental screen. Patterns of electrical impulses shift radically. Even the amount of blood entering the brain varies widely throughout the night. Indeed, the idea that sleep is a time when nothing happens has been put to rest.

Growth Hormone Release

Growth hormone, released from the pituitary gland, plays a part in all growth and repair functions. Growth hormone (somatotropin) is no substitute for calories for energy, or for protein for the actual structural components of muscle. But at the same time, no growth takes place without the support of growth hormone.

One of the most interesting aspects of growth hormones is that it is not released steadily, but rather in pulses. And these pulses come about 60 - 90 minutes after you fall asleep. Nobody can say why the body should work this way, but the pulse phenomenon does bring up some interesting possibilities. Chief among them are these: Can the total amount of growth hormone release be increased by taking one or two long naps during the course of the day? Are there dietary factors that could help the body take advantage of the fact that growth hormone peaks 60 - 90 minutes into the sleep cycle? Nobody knows for sure. But the possibilities are intriguing.

Vibrating Eyeballs

Growth hormone isn't the only thing that has its ups and downs during sleep. Sleep, encompasses a number of cycles. The most important cycles have to do with states of arousal. The state of greatest arousal is called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The state of least arousal is tagged with the mundane 'non-REM' sleep.

REM sleep is often mistakenly thought of as a state of low arousal, or deep sleep, since this is where the vast majority of dreaming takes place, but actually it is during the non-REM period that deep sleep is occurring. And it is during this time that most recuperation takes place. Not that REM sleep is less important. In fact, while non-REM sleep rejuvenates the body, REM sleep rejuvenates the mind. The length of REM sleep, is in fact, the most reliable predictor of how satisfying a night of sleep is. So important is REM sleep that when we are deprived of it one evening - as by repeated awakening or the use of a depressant like alcohol - the body in its wisdom will provide more of it the next night.

Is there any particular significance to the movement of the eyeballs? There may be, but it is as yet undetermined. Eye movement, however, lends itself particularly well to measurement, and it remains one of the most reliable predictors of a wide range of factors related to sleep, including dream activity. Most important to bodybuilding athletes is that the type of sleep is even more important than GH release in determining the body's rates of growth and repair.

How Much Sleep do you Need?

Like all questions pertaining to sleep, there is no simple answer here. We know, for example, that the optimum amount of sleep varies throughout a lifetime. We all begin by sleeping 16 hours or so a day during the first year on earth. By the beginning of our second year most of us are down by 12 hours of sleep a day. The need for sleep tapers off gradually until the teenage years when it levels off at around 9 hours. In adulthood, the typical person requires about 8 hours sleep a day.

The common belief that the need for sleep is greatly diminished in the elderly is actually a myth. The sad fact is that many elderly persons, for a variety of reasons, actually have trouble sleeping the number of hours they require. But so far we have talked about average people. You are a bodybuilder. Does a bodybuilder need more sleep?

Cleaning House

Sleep does allow time for the removal of lactate and other substances. Sleep is the time for the muscles to clean house. Moving from the laboratory to the gym, you're likely to find a wide scope of answers. While there may be no precise answer. You need enough. And getting enough doesn't always come easy.

How to Fall Asleep

Once you have to start thinking about it, you're already in trouble. That's the way it is with falling asleep. After taking the process for granted all of our lives, suddenly many of us find that falling asleep isn't as easy as lying down and closing our eyes. Sleeping pills, both prescription and over the counter, are remedies many persons turn to. But before you drug yourself, consider some alternatives, the most important of which perhaps to eliminate the drugs you're already using.

Dump the Caffeine

Thousands of people each year go to sleep, mindless of the fact that they themselves are the proximate cause of their troubles. Caffeine has become such a part of the culture that coffee breaks now appear in many dictionaries. The danger of caffeine is that we become so accustomed to it, we start to think it isn't really affecting us. The problem with caffeine is not only the punch it packs. Caffeine has a secondary effect as well, in that it causes the loss of vital minerals that promote relaxation and sleep, including magnesium and potassium.

Anyone having sleeping problems should drop the caffeine. Be aware that caffeine is a potent drug, and it makes sense to cut back gradually. Sudden withdrawal can bring depression and headaches.

Hold the Alcohol

Beer, wine and hard liquor are great temptations to anyone having difficulty falling asleep, but while alcohol may put you to sleep, it will not be restful sleep. Alcohol is no answer to sleep disorders.

Complex Carbohydrate Foods

When you eat a high carbohydrate meal, blood insulin levels will be raised. Insulin has the effect of stripping amino acids from carrier proteins. But one amino acid forms a closer bond, and insulin does not strip it away. So while levels of other amino acids go down, the relative level of L-tryptophan is raised. As a result, L- tryptophan faces less competition from other amino acids in its trek across the blood-brain barrier.

Establish a Fixed Sleep Schedule

Go to bed and get up at fixed times. This helps to stabilize your body clock.

Control your Sleep Environment

Keep room temperature comfortable. Get rid of noise. Avoid money matters before bedtime. This could be the worse time for balancing your check book. Exercise is one of the best ways to get a good nights sleep, but never exercise too late.