Many studies and research proved that sleep habits promotes overall wellness, from improving cardiovascular and brain development to achieving one’s fitness goal.
If you are a health buff and want to be fit, the secret is getting enough hours of sleep.
The amount of sleep for each individual varies according to the group. For adult men, it is recommended to have at least 7 hours of sleep every night.
For W. Christopher Winter, MD, the president of Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and the author of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It, “We exercise for a purpose: for cardiovascular health, to increase lean muscle mass, to improve endurance, and more. All of these ‘goals’ require sleep.”
Dr Winter further stated, “Without sleep, exercise does not deliver those benefits. If you don’t sleep, you undermine your body.”
Why can sleep help you achieve your fitness goals?
Sleep allows muscle tissue time to recover between workouts
When you fall asleep and get into the deeper stage, the muscles see an increase in blood flow, bringing oxygen and nutrients that help recover and repair muscles and regenerate cells.
In a night of deep sleep, the pituitary gland releases growth hormones that stimulate muscle repair and growth. When there is a lack of sleep, the secretion of this growth hormone declines, and it can become harder for your body to recover from injuries.
Another hormone that is active when in deep sleep is prolactin. Prolactin helps to regulate inflammation. Poor sleep habits will make you more likely to experience inflammation in the body, making injury recovery more difficult and putting you at risk of further injury.
See: Easily Fall Asleep: 10 Tips How to Fall Asleep
Sleep controls appetite
When the body falls asleep, the Leptin and ghrelin hormones are released. These hormones are responsible for controlling appetite, and it also releases Cortisol, which is part of the body’s stress response system.
Hand and hand, leptin and cortisols help improve eating habits and avoid binge eating that may compromise fitness goals.
Sleep conserves energy
Good sleep habits help the body conserve energy. The primary reason why people sleep is the conservation of energy. As the body falls asleep, it also reduces the individual demand for energy and metabolism by 10 percent.
Increase your motivation to be more active
In many studies, a person who lacks sleep is less active. Though one night of poor sleep habits may seem harmless, when it is continuous for several nights, the body will be less active and decrease the motivation for physical activity.
According to John DeLucchi, Physical Therapy Manager for OrthoCarolina Mooresville. “If you want to upgrade your athleticism, decrease your risk of injury, decrease persistent pain, recover faster, boost your immune system, have more energy, and perform better, sleep is critical,”
He further stated, “Appropriate rest can be a catalyst to achieving these results. If you are an athlete, this is a metric you should be tracking to perform your best.”
The quantity of sleep should be distinct from the quality of sleep. A person may oversleep for more than 7 to 8 hours but feel exhausted even after waking up. A lack of adequate sleep has a negative impact on health and wellness. Plus, it can affect judgment, mood, and ability to learn and retain information and may increase the risk of serious accidents and injury.
Therefore, take advantage of getting good sleep habits if you want to achieve your fitness goals faster. Prioritize sleeping and staying longer in bed and reap the health benefits.
