“Whether you are an elite athlete or just getting started on your fitness journey, sleep forms a crucial aspect in the recovery of muscle.” The primary aim of sleep is to aid in the body’s restoration where most physical damage such as workouts or injuries are targeted at. Sleep is crucial because it affects for instance protein synthesis in the body while also acting as an anabolic state meaning metabolism will decrease.
Studies have shown that lack of sleep slows muscle recovery and increases injury risks which is a clear indication that sleep is seen to be a necessity rather than a preference – Where slumber would, in fact, aid an individual to recover from fatigue faced due to a strenuous workout.
Getting the Right Amount of Sleep The modern medicine’s view on sleep is currently a somewhat similar to an incomplete jigsaw puzzle. As much as there are present experts who possess a number of the particular pieces, they are unable to ascertain how they all fit together. Even though this is understood, what’s clear is the understanding of the necessity of slumber for muscle recovery after a strikingly hard workout.
Particularly, sleep allows the body to rebuild and restore glycogen that was consumed while exercising which in turn ensures the muscle is well fuelled and ready to perform efficiently – It is imperative that a person has quality sleep to be able to achieve this. In particular, sleep has a stopover function which is vital for muscle development, this is known as protein synthesis. Protein synthesis is the process where muscle myofibrillar proteins are constructed. Therefore, what has been established is that sleeping is too little meaning muscle protein synthesis will be greatly reduced thus constraining one’s ability to optimally build muscle.
Insufficient sleep may also increase the the risk for injuries according to some studies. Research suggests that when people get less sleep their body switches from a muscle building state (anabolism) to a muscle wasting state (catabolism). This phase shift results in decreased amounts of hormones that are anabolic in nature which provide assistance in recovering after strenuous workouts as well as making tissue muscular and stronger. This shift then results in pushes back muscle recovery times and increases the risks of injuries during periods of intense training.
Correcting Sleep Quality
To recover muscles after training sessions it is important to sleep. Evidence suggests that one of the ways to ensure the proper development of muscles due to enough sleep is to avoid going to bed late regularly and remaining calm and relaxed during the daytime so that one is not required to sleep heavily while not taking caffeine and nicotine. This is also key for producing enough growth hormone for the repairing and developing of muscles.
Muscle hypertrophy occurs as a result of muscle proteins synthesis post exercise and appropriate dietary intake (mostly intake of proteins), which causes the muscles to incorporate new proteins within themselves. However, studies have shown that sleep shortage will accelerate the rate at which the muscles are targeting for nutritional triggers to start synthesizing muscle proteins thus making strength and size improvements harder to come by.
During the periods of non-REM sleep more specifically stated as stages two and three, breathing patterns change and muscle mass uptakes blood circulation especially the heart which as a result leads to a reduction in blood pressure. Such improvements are essential for recovery purposes since the body’s capabilities have been altered.
The body is well equipped with anti-inflammatory molecules which play a huge role in reducing soreness in muscles that have undergone strenuous activity. It must be acknowledged that for the right anti inflammatory molecules to be formed sleep of a certain duration is required. This is to say, muscle recuperation cannot commence unless sleep is had a prerequisite.
Making sure optimum amounts of recuperative sleep are attained is consistent with sleep enhancement practices which in the case are restorative rounds or recovery enabling breaks.
It is also established that in order to perform well adequately in any gym activity, an individual needs to perform the right set of physical activities and gets the most adequate amount of sleep. Furthermore, it is worth noting that even though more physical exercises might lead to adequate increase in muscle mass, failing to sleep a certain threshold after physical exertion will jeopardie mass recovery or performance improvements.
Glycogen, which is required to store energy in muscles for intensive exercises, is produced when we sleep at night. Therefore, if not enough glycogen is produced, muscle contractions may become weak.
Various hormones for protein synthesis and muscle hypertrophy are produced during different stages of sleep. Therefore, studies have shown that lack of sleep or rest makes it more difficult for a person to produce enough of those hormones required for building muscles, resulting additionally in increased damage to muscles. Furthermore, insufficient rest impairs the body’s ability to utilize protein derived from food sources for muscle anabolic processes.
Finding the Optimal Timing for Sleep
Muscle recovery involves many factors, sleep being one of them. As such, sleep can facilitate repair of damaged tissues, improve the immune system and prevent anabolism which catabolic metabolites may cause. Without proper rest after strenuous exercise, It may take an increased amount of time for your muscles to recuperate or possibly even cause a reduction in muscle mass!
During nighttime, our body has a key activity: restoring the muscle glycogen reserves. Glycogen is the carbohydrate that fuels muscle contraction, and Without sufficient stores, optimal performance in future exercises cannot be achieved, hence the need to restore. And this is where waking up and sleeplessness is critical!
At the same time, sleep allows the replenishment of muscle energy that is required for repairing and regenerating cells, and also for maintaining the secretion of hormones that support muscle hypertrophy; examples are testosterone and cytokines among others. It has been established that deprivation of sleep notably affects the secretion of these hypertrophy promoting hormones. (Dattilo M, Antunes HK et al, 2017).
Sleep regulation, while largely controlled by the natural circadian cycle, is further affected by a number of sociological and personal contexts, which may include one’s lifestyle as well as the occupation one carries out. Notably, each individual might have a unique set of sleeping requirements depending on their age, physical activity, and life-style. An adult is recommended to sleep at least 7 to 8 hours while a senior or an aged person would need only 5 to 6 hours sleep daily. The secret is mainly being dedicated to a strong set pattern and trusting your body for each day as it gives nudge that you need to get up at a particular time. Moreover, engaging in similar activities around the same times every day guarantees into your body’s circadian balance, while retaining muscle rest that is essential for recovery to take place.
