Why is sleep so important?
Without proper rest, the body, and in particular the muscles, cannot recover. Exercise is, after all, a physical stress on the body. Muscle recovery—what happens after you finish working out–is significantly impacted by sleep. After your workout it is especially important to get proper sleep so that energy and fluid lost during exercise is replenished.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. Adding even one extra hour of sleep per night can have a significant impact on your ability to recover and to be fully prepared for your next workout.
What’s more, quality of sleep matters. Short-changing your sleep can affect your body composition goals and your ability to increase muscle mass. Inadequate, low-quality sleep can also affect your workout the next day. Good sleep allows for the release of tissue repairing hormones into the body. Poor sleep means the body will be deprived of these critical hormones and cortisol, the stress hormone known for zapping energy, will be released instead.
Researchers believe that deep sleep helps improve athletic performance. It is nearly impossible to have a strong workout if we are overly tired. Our muscles and our brains cannot function optimally when we are sleep deprived. A good night’s sleep enhances blood flow throughout our bodies and our brains, delivering the key ingredients we need, oxygen and glycogen, to perform at our best.
Along with eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly, don’t forget to harness the power of a good night sleep.
