Sleep is sometimes called the enemy of accomplishment, but it doesn’t have to be your enemy when you are trying to be fit and healthy. In fact, sleep plays a crucial role in ensuring you live a healthy and active life.
Chapter Overview
1. Getting Enough Sleep Gives You Energy
How important is sleep to your workout sessions? You might burn out faster, not want to work out as long, and feel less energetic if you don’t get enough sleep. It is important that an active adult get at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep every night, and more if you are very tired. If you try to get by on 5 or 6 hours of sleep, you will find yourself constantly drained and not able to do the workout session that you would like to. There are lots of ways you can ensure that you get enough sleep, such as putting away screens at least an hour before bedtime, eating a smaller meal before bedtime, and using stress-reduction or relaxation methods before you sleep.
2. Regular Sleep Regulates Metabolism
Sleep is an important part of how your body processes food and how it uses and stores energy. When you have a sleep routine, where you sleep a specific number of hours each night and go to bed at a specific time each night, then your metabolism works better. If your sleep schedule is irregular, then your metabolism can become confused and not work like it should. If you are serious about getting fit and shedding weight, then you need a well-regulated metabolism, and sleeping well is a key part of that.
3. Sleep Gives Your Body Time to Grow Muscles
If you are depriving yourself of sleep to spend more time working out and bulking up, then you are not taking advantage of the natural benefits of sleep. When you sleep, your body does most of its growing and turns protein in your body into muscles. You need regular sleep and a regular sleep schedule to ensure that your muscles grow as much as possible.
4. Sleep Helps You Recover from Strenuous Workouts
You can’t be working out all the time. You have to give yourself some time to let your body heal and allow for muscle recovery. You’ll reduce achiness and tiredness with some good sleep, and you will be more likely to feel pain free for your next workout session if you have had a good night’s sleep already. Sleep is also very important if you are recovering from a serious injury. It’s smart to hire a personal injury lawyer after you suffered an accident on the road or at work, but you also need to make sure you are getting adequate sleep. Take some time to sleep well and let your body rest, because that is when you experience the most muscle recovery and healing.
Sleep and exercise go very well together. Having a good night’s sleep right before you exercise in the morning is a great way to start the day with a burst of energy rather than feeling tired. You can schedule your exercise around your sleep routine and ensure that you are not doing the wrong kinds of exercises first thing in the morning or right before it is time to sleep.