A strict diet and an organized workout schedule are the two most important facets that drive your fitness levels to new levels.
However, what is often overlooked by many is the ever-significant role sleep plays when it comes to keeping endurance and strength at their peak.
If you’re looking to attain the best possible physique and conditioning, you must consider these six sleep truths and how they all contribute to your fitness goals.
Build Muscle Better
Getting ripped isn’t just about sticking to a protein-rich, low-carb diet, and working out with heavy resistance as much as possible. According to a report in Men’s Journal, a good night’s sleep is the opportunity for the body to experience an influx of regenerative chemicals, that include growth hormones and testosterone.
These ultimately put you in better shape for your next workout. Without proper sleep, the recovery process is compromised, especially when it comes to adding size, and more importantly strength.
Furthermore, the same report advises that creating an easy-to-do ritual before your bedtime makes slipping into deep sleep more comfortable.
Detaching from your phone, or even skipping late-night television from time to time (the activity and light from these devices may distract and keep you up), are only some of the ways you can sleep faster and better.
Stay Strong
The U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information emphasizes that without ample sleep, you can expect your athletic performance to decrease. Running low on shuteye may wreck your natural physiological responses, take away your mental focus, put you in a lethargic state, and most importantly compromise your immune system.
A robust immune system is responsible for shielding you from illnesses and infections. Experiencing sleep loss weakens the effectiveness of your biological detection and defense system.
This is because it robs the body of a suitable production of antibodies that can ward off harmful viruses and bacteria. If you are continually feeling ill or low on energy, prioritizing sleep is the step to recovery. Visit https://www.slimtree.com/ for more fitness and recovery tips.
Learn New Workouts Better
To realize your fitness objectives, it is essential to keep pushing your physical threshold.
Regularly changing up your workout routine will avoid hitting plateaus.
Doing the same set of exercises over and over will not provide you with the progressive gains you desire. When it comes to learning a new routine, sleep helps facilitate the process of maximizing the benefits of new workouts.
Harvard Medical School’s Division of Sleep Medicine reveals that getting the right amount of sleep is crucial to the process of information acquisition, consolidation, and recall.
As muscle memory is integral to the efficient execution of exercises, having adequate shuteye will help you adapt to new workouts.
This means you can make the most of every repetition in each set of your new workout.
Naturally, if you are sleep deprived, apart from not having obtained enough rest to prepare for your workout, it will be challenging for you to keep pushing yourself.
Become Injury-Proof
The more you become sleep-deprived, the more you become susceptible to injury. Very Well reports that a lack of sleep for athletes, and those who exercise, frequently inhibits glucose metabolism, which in turn leads to less energy. Another risk is heightened quantities of cortisol which hinders tissue growth and repair.
The result: you increase the chances of injuring yourself while working out or when competing in a sports event. With an adequate amount of sleep, you aid the essential steps your body naturally takes to heal itself.
Furthermore, athletes and fitness enthusiasts must always take into consideration that the amount of sleep and rest they take should be aligned to the intensity and effort they put into their sweat sessions.
That’s why possessing that keen attention-to-detail is highly necessary whenever you change up your program.
Maintain Your Mental Edge
For fitness expert and Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics national spokesman Jim White, a lack of sleep puts him at a cognitive disadvantage.
In an interview with Leesa, White reiterates the importance of a sufficient amount of shuteye. “Some people need more than others, but I function best at eight solid hours. If I go down to six hours, I lose my cognitive edge and end up eating more carbohydrates.
And I don’t have nearly as much willpower if I get less than seven.” Ensuring that you get at least the minimum recommended amount of sleep will keep you focused and sharp. Going to a workout tired threatens your training output and safety.
Aside from finding the right volume that works for you, it is also imperative to remedy your sleep-deficient situation.
White further adds that naps can be a successful method to replenish energy: “Twenty to 30-minute power naps can be helpful during the day. If you sleep for two or three hours, it’s not.”
Napping too long will start the body’s sleep cycle, which, if interrupted, could lead to you being more tired when you wake up.
Does Sleep Improve Athletic Performance?
According to a recent review, the research linking sleep deprivation to athletic performance has produced mixed results. Despite the fact that sleeping less than six hours per night is a well-documented Olympic sport-killer, several studies have concluded that there is, in fact, a link between sleep and athletic performance.
In a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the authors examined data from many different research papers. They came to the conclusion that “the difference in performance between night-shift workers and those on regular sleep schedules…is significantly lower in all competitions tested.” The paper is more of a meta-analysis than a study,” explained Michael J. Breus, a sleep consultant and the author of the book The Power of When.
Ensure Longevity
Repetition—from executing each exercise to maintaining a regimen—is a key requirement for keeping fit.
Without it, you fall from the fitness wagon and find yourself having to constantly reboot your routine.
Having appropriate levels of sleep allows you to keep on top of your fitness targets. According to research by sleep expert Martha Jefferson of the Hospital Sleep Medicine Center, there is a correlation between shuteye and the successful careers of Major League Baseball (MLB) players.
The study found that these professional athletes were able to extend their playing careers by factoring sleep into their fitness plan. More importantly, Jefferson points out: “It is an excellent reminder that sleepiness impairs performance.
From a sports perspective, this is incredibly important.
What this study shows is that we can use the science of sleep to predict sports performance.”