So your nutrition is on point and you’re hitting the gym hard but still not seeing the results you were expecting. Well maybe it’s time to consider if inadequate sleep or poor sleep habits are hindering your progress. We all know sleep is important but I think we underestimate the crucial roles that sleep plays in supporting our body’s optimal function. When it comes to health and fitness, sleep is just as important as good nutrition and proper training techniques. Without it, it can be almost impossible to achieve any form of fitness or health related goals. In this article we will discuss why sleep is important and how it can impact weight loss, muscle gain and athletic performance.
Why Is Sleep Important?
The body does amazing things while we are sleeping. Whilst asleep, your bodies pituitary gland secretes higher levels of growth hormone (HGH) than when we are awake. This assists the repair of damaged cells which stimulates growth and reproduction. This improves recovery and promotes muscle growth. Sleep also allows for the regulation of other hormones such as cortisol, which is responsible for controlling blood sugar and metabolism, as well as Leptin and Ghrelin which promote and suppress appetite. Sleep boosts your immune system and clears your mind so you experience less severe and less frequent mood swings. This helps to alleviate symptoms of depression. Ensuring you get enough sleep will also improve memory, maximise your problem solving ability and recharge your heart and cardiovascular system for the day ahead.
Sleep Cycles
During sleep our body moves through stages of reoccurring NREM (non-rapid eye movement) and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. A normal sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes and includes four stages of NREM and one stage of REM. Stage 1 is 4-5% of the cycle and is characterised by light sleep, slowing down of muscle activity and occasional muscle twitching. Stage 2 is 45-55% of the cycle and is characterised by a slowed breathing pattern and heart rate as well as a slight decrease in body temperature. Stage 3 is 4-6%, this is when deep sleep begins and the brain starts to generate slow delta waves. Stage 4 is 12-15%. In this stage you enter a very deep sleep, breathing becomes rhythmic, muscle activity is limited and the brain is still producing delta waves. It is very hard to wake someone who is in stage 4 of a sleep cycle. These four stages make up our NREM sleep. Stage 5 makes up 20-25% of our sleep cycle and is when we experience bursts of rapid eye movement, brain waves speed up and dreaming occurs. Muscles relax in this stage despite the increase in heart rate and the shallow and rapid nature of our breathing. This is the only stage of REM sleep. Unfortunately forming good sleep habits is a little more complicated then stringing together 4-6 of these sleep cycles. Time spent in NREM or REM sleep can differ from cycle to cycle, morning to evening and change through every phase of your life. We all have our own individual sleep tendencies.
Sleeps Impact On Weight Loss & Muscle Gain
When it comes to weight loss, getting enough sleep can have a big impact. It has often been reported that poor sleep is linked to having a higher body mass index (BMI) and weight gain. There are plenty of plausible reasons as to why this might be the case. As mentioned earlier, lack of sleep can cause a hormonal imbalance of Leptin and Ghrelin. In order to suppress hunger your body’s fat cells produce Leptin. On the other hand your stomach produces Ghrelin which promotes appetite. When we don’t get enough sleep our body produces more Ghrelin and less Leptin, this causes an increase in hunger. Fortunately getting enough sleep has the opposite effect therefore allowing you to better manage your appetite and food intake. Inadequate sleep also increases levels of the stress causing hormone cortisol in our blood. This is negative for a few reasons. High levels of cortisol limit our bodies muscle building potential. So not only do these higher levels of cortisol immediately lower metabolism but they will also hinder any further increases in your metabolic rate due to this lack of muscle gain. In stage 3 of your sleep cycle our bodies release HGH (human growth hormone). This hormone aids in muscle growth, more muscle means your bodies energy consumption continues to increase. Sleep helps keep these hormones at a level which is ideal for good health. During sleep the body repairs the small micro tears created from daily activity and training, this helps eliminate fatigue and allows you to continue on your training program.
Sleep & Athletic Performance
Adequate sleep is crucial to obtaining optimal athletic performance. Whether you’re competing at an amateur or elite level reaction time is important to success. Studies show that moderate sleep deprivation dramatically reduces reaction time and has been compared to having the same effect as having a blood alcohol content of 0.05%. Imagine trying to shoot hoops or kick goals after having a few wines with the girls, as if it wasn’t challenging enough already! Sleep helps the body with physiological, bio mechanical and cognitive restoration meaning it helps us to learn, remember and execute new tasks and skills. Sleep reduces fatigue which reduces mental errors and makes us less susceptible to injury or illness. Across the board these benefits can increase overall s performance now and for a more prolonged period of time. I hope this helps you to understand the impact that sleep has across all aspects of our life and how it is an important component to maintaining your peak level of health and fitness. Whilst sleep patterns vary from person to person it is recommended that you get 7-8 hours of sleep each night in order to allow both your brain and body to function as they should. Without it you’ll feel tired and moody, struggle to take on new information and find that your attempt at achieving your health and fitness goals will just fizzle out. Sleep keeps you happy, healthy and on top of your game.
xx Tara
How do you ensure that you get a good nights sleep? Let me know in the comments section below. Join our PAC and book in a time to see the gym and chat about your health and fitness goals.
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