Where muscle growth and fat loss are concerned, sleep is one of the most powerful forces in the universe and it is the one that often gets short shrift in fitness conversations.
Aside from exercise and nutrition, sleep affects physical performance, recovery, and results from
training and conditioning directly.
There is so much more to it, so let us explore why sleep matters for athletes and how this will
help you optimize training and reach your goals.
Sleep is the time your body goes into its deepest repair mode. An integral part of the muscle recovery process, it allows tissues to heal, strengthen and gird themselves for upcoming workouts. Two important phases of sleep, deep sleep and recovery, and REM sleep, serve different functions in this process.
While in deep sleep, your body produces growth hormones which strengthen and repair those muscle fibers. Sleep benefits are important to repair and repair physical damage from work and
exercise at this stage. In contrast, REM sleep is all about mental recovery and enhancing alertness, motivation, and cognitive function. Both phases are crucial to any athletic performance.
Not enough or low quality sleep directly hampers muscle growth and sports performance. The hormonal balance during sleep gets disrupted and they are one of the major factors. Deep sleep
is an important contributor to hormone regulation, including growth hormone and cortisol.
Cortisol levels increase when sleep is insufficient. Excess cortisol makes you break down muscle gain and sleep, recover less well, and can even stall fat loss. Conversely, not getting enough deep
sleep inhibits the growth hormone release, which slows the processes of muscle repair and development.
Sleep also aids in protein synthesis at night, the process by which muscle fibers torn during exercise are repaired and strengthened. This vital repair usually takes place during nighttime and interrupted sleep impairs your bodys capacity to execute this function effectively.
Quality sleep is key for recovery and performance. Here are a few sleep hygiene practices for better sleep hygiene and optimize your results:
Nutrition is a key part of muscle recovery and sleep quality. The right nutrients encourage relaxation and repair, so they are an essential part of an athletes mission to maximize progress.
Certain foods that promote recovery like magnesium and tryptophan rich almonds, bananas, and turkey, help your body relax and deepen your slumber. These nutrients promote naturalbody repair processes, amplifying the benefits of sleep.
Hydration plays another key role. Hydrations impact on sleep quality is to prevent muscle cramps and discomfort, which both negatively affect sleep.
When you pair good nutrition for better sleep, you provide the best setup for recovery and growth.
Although good habits can help you sleep better, some behaviors may produce the opposite effect. Here are a few pitfalls to sidestep: