Right up there on the list of how to get fit, along with a consistent workout routine and a proper diet, is sleep.
Research after research has shown that quality sleep plays a crucial role in weight loss, fitness and overall health. Some of its effects, e.g. effective muscle recovery, are direct while others are not so obvious.
For instance, did you know that the amount of sleep you get can affect how many calories you eat? It makes you hungrier and impairs decision making when it comes to making healthy food choices.
So as you hit the gym and pack your body with proteins and other healthy foods, it’s also important to make sure that you are getting quality sleep.
Still don’t think you need to sleep a solid 7-8 hours? See what science has to say about sleep and fitness.
Sleep Is Essential for Muscle Recovery
Your muscles don’t grow in the gym. That happens in bed.
No matter how much you lift or run, if you don’t sleep well you are not going to see any gains. This is because your muscles need to recover.
When you are asleep, your body secretes growth hormone, which is essential in building up torn muscles and filling all those tears left by your workout. This is what builds your lean mass and makes you fitter.
If you are not getting enough sleep, your body is not producing enough growth hormone and your workouts are going to waste.
Don’t rely on a post-workout protein shake to recover. You also need lots of rest. Target around 7-8 hours of sleep every night.
Less Sleep, More Calories
This is one of those not-so-obvious effects of poor sleep on fitness.
The less you sleep, the more calories you are likely to take in. This is as a result of both physical and mental factors.
On the physical side, poor sleep affects hormones that regulate appetite. Levels of the hunger hormone, ghrelin, go up. This makes you more hungry which of course makes you eat more.
But don’t think that you’ll be reaching for those veggies or beans. Research has shown that poor sleep affects your decision making process when it comes to choosing the right food.
In other words, you are more likely to eat junk food when you sleep less…even when healthy alternatives are right there.
To drill this down to numbers, one study found that sleep deprived men ate 263 more calories daily while women in a similar state ate 329 more calories.
That’s on average 2,000 more calories a week. Definitely not a recipe for fitness.
Less Sleep, More Fat
As if eating more calories is not a bad enough effect of poor sleep, your body also tends to store more fat when you skimp out on the ZZZs.
One study put several overweight individuals on a calorie restriction diet. They were divided into two groups, both eating roughly the same number of calories a day.
The only difference between them was that one group slept for 5.5 hours a night (which is generally how long many people sleep today) and the other 8.5 hours (the doctor-recommended sleep time).
Guess who lost more weight?
That’s right; the 8.5-hours group shed more weight than the other group. And most of the weight lost was in form of fat.
The folks who slept less lost more muscle (60% compared to the other group) than fat.
There are two things that will happen if you don’t sleep well: you’ll burn fewer calories (resulting in more fat deposits) and you’ll lose more muscle mass.
That doesn’t look good at all for your fitness journey.
Sleep Affects Workout Performance
You’ve probably experienced this a couple of times. For some reason you had a late night the day before. The next morning you are not really feeling as fresh as you are used to.
Nevertheless you push yourself up because there is a workout routine to stick to and you are not a slacker. But when you hit the gym or track, you experience one of your worst workout sessions.
You can’t seem to hit all the milestones that come so easy for you. You reps are closer to those of a beginner. Your running feels more like a tortoise’s crawl.
Sleeping for even 1 hour less than you are supposed to affects your performance more than you think. Your energy levels go down and your muscles don’t recover well enough to take another beating.
But it’s not just physical. It affects you mentally too.
A good productive workout requires being sharp mentally and motivation to keep pushing yourself. Poor sleep affects your mental acuity and this in turn affects your workout.
Sleep, Stress and Fitness
Poor sleep makes you feel more stressed. That’s not good for your fitness for a couple of reasons.
One, the levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, go up.
A bit of cortisol is not bad. It’s even helps with muscle recovery.But chronically high levels of cortisol in your blood affect protein synthesis and prevent proper tissue growth.
In other words, too much stress (which can be caused by poor sleeping habits) prevents your muscle mass from growing.
Stress also slows down fat loss and can affect workout performance.
Conclusion
As part of your fitness plan, make efforts to improve your sleep quality.
Make sure you get a solid 7-8 hours every night, including the weekends. If you are struggling to sleep, find out what’s causing it.
Do you have a comfortable mattress? If you don’t, read more how to find the best online mattress for your needs and budget.
Is your sleeping environment ideal? Make sure it’s quiet, dark and cool.
Make sure you also have a healthy evening routine. Eat your dinner earlier, shut down gadgets an hour or so before sleep and find a relaxing pre-bed activity like meditation.
Also check whether you might have a sleep disorder. If you suspect you do, talk to your doctor who may refer you to a sleep specialist.
Trish Boudreaux
Trish, which is her pen name, is a New Orleans native who works in the insurance industry. She is married and enjoys reviewing and testing out new mattresses in a quest for the best night’s sleep. She is honest and upfront without being pushy or sales driven. Read More.
