We all enjoy a good night’s sleep, and its one of the key elements we need too not only conquer our day but also our workouts. But with the fast paced & electronic world we live in, over 30% of us are not getting the recommended 7hrs or more.
So what does this mean for your workouts and recovery?
One of the key roles of sleep is to help restore our endocrine system, which is responsible for hormones, like testosterone & HGH, it also aids in our growth & development, as well as regulating brain function and our metabolism. During our non-REM sleep phase things like protein synthesis is increased along with the mobilization of free fatty acids that provide us with energy, helping to repair the muscles we’ve broke down during the workout.
When it comes to working out, studies show even after one night of poor sleep it can not only decrease our output physically but can make a workout ‘feel’ harder due to the mental fatigue leading to a decreased performance and intensity.
So what can you do?
There are some things we can do to help get a good night sleep;
- Stick to a regular nighttime and waking pattern
- Avoiding alcohol or caffeine products at least 6hrs out from bedtime as this can affect REM sleep
- Get good exposure to daylight for a good circadian rhythm
- Reduce blue light at night by turning off electronic items at least 30mins prior to bedtime
- Doing things like stretching or reading
- Having a dark room to sleep in
- Clear your mind, apps like ToDoist letting you do brain info dump
- Taking a relaxing hot bath or shower can help get a deep sleep
And of course good regular exercise
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