Importance of Sleep in Fitness

Importance of Sleep in Fitness

It’s funny how we all hated bedtime as children and look forward to it as adults. Now it feels like we can never get enough sleep, and no matter how we organize, it’s like there are not enough hours in a day. No matter whether you are a student or working, you can certainly relate. Some individuals function okay with little sleep, while others feel the effects more. When you don’t get enough sleep, you can boost your energy levels a bit with coffee and energy drinks, however, it’s not good to become dependent on these things, especially if you are into fitness.

Sleeping is vital not only for staying healthy but also for staying fit and gaining muscle. Here is why and how.

Performance

When you lead an active lifestyle, you need more rest than someone who isn’t that active. You can perform at your best capacity only when you are well rested. That means quality sleep can help you withstand intense training sessions while experiencing less fatigue. When you are sleep deprived, not only you won’t be able to perform at your best, but you may also experience a lot of fatigue in the middle of your workout. If you are completing intense workouts, you also need proper sleep to recover your muscles.

Rest and Recovery

If you think you build muscle while in the gym, you are wrong. During the workout you actually tear muscles fibers and repair them or grow stronger muscles when you rest or sleep. Recovery time is essential for staying fit and getting the most out of your training routine. Getting proper sleep will ensure you feel energized and build muscle faster. Most athletes are recommended to get 7 to 10 hours of sleep per night. Rest is not only vital for recovering your muscles, but also for improving your hormonal balance.

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Essential Sleep Tips

Start by creating a consistent bedtime and wake time schedule and strictly stick to it every day. If you have troubles relaxing before sleep, create a simple pre-sleep ritual such as taking a warm, soothing bath.

Make sure you sleep on a quality mattress. If your bed is old and lumpy, you definitely won’t get as much as good sleep as you need it. Nectar Sleep Mattress is an excellent choice because it provides you a lot of comfort and quality support. If you need more information, you can find a lot of reviews of this model online.

Apart from changing your mattress and making sure you really sleep on a model that really satisfies your sleeping needs, you should also optimize your bedroom environment. An ideal sleeping sanctuary should be quiet, dark and reasonably cool.

Diet

At first, it seems like sleep has nothing to do with diet. However, multiple studies have shown that lack of sleep can lead to hormone imbalance which further leads to weight gain and even obesity. Also, if you are dieting, lack of sleep can undo all your hard work and effort.

When hormones that control hunger and appetite are thrown off, you may become hungrier than usual or have unusual food cravings. This may also lead to weight gain if not controlled.

Fat Cell Composition

Lack of sleep also affects hormones like insulin. When you are sleep deprived, your fat cells and the hormones that control their storage will not be able to function correctly. One of the biggest dangers lack of sleep can cause related to insulin is making your body resistant to this master storage hormone. This is why sleep deprivation is also linked to diabetes.