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Speaking of sleep..................

SAD

SAD

TID Board Of Directors
Feb 3, 2011
3,673
2,293
The 'sleeping' thread got me thinking about a thread I started last year on another forum. I didn't get a whole lot of feedback on it because I think that overall knowledge on that board is lacking, but TID has such a great base of veteran's that I'm hoping to get some great feedback.

Here's the original post:

Your muscles recover and rebuild most when you are sleeping. So does the position in which you spend most of your night affect how that muscle will be shaped over years and years of training?

Take for instance, me. I sleep on my side with my shoulders hunched forward and my back stretched and rounded. I have slept this way for my entire life, and my back is very wide and thick. On the filp-side, my chest is not wide or well developed. Is this a coincidence? I know that genetics play the largest role in muscle shape and size, but could sleep position also play a role?

Its kind of like the intense stretching advocated by the Dogg-Crapp training founder, except that it is low intensity, long duration stretching. He believes that the stretching of the sarcoplasm can and will change the shape of the muscle. How about the same principle applied to sleep?

Thoughts?



Personally I do believe that the position in which you sleep can and does affect the way you look. Think about this, if you walk around hunchbacked for 8 hours a day, 365 days a year, for 10 years, you will have a permanent posture problem. Now granted, that's as much a bone problem as it is a muscle problem, but have you ever noticed that hunchbacked people who work manual labor have huge backs? I believe that sleeping a certain way for 8 hours a day, 365 days a year, year after year, can affect muscle shape, size, posture, and overall look.
 
Dangling Unit

Dangling Unit

MuscleHead
Jan 2, 2011
678
82
I highly doubt you stay in the same position all night. The only way I can see it affecting muscle shape/size is if you slept on something that limited blood flow, like an arm, or if you slept on a board. You probably sleep on the same side. Is your spine not straight because it's not straight when you sleep?
 
SAD

SAD

TID Board Of Directors
Feb 3, 2011
3,673
2,293
I alternate from side to side personally, but I cannot sleep on my stomach and do not sleep on my back, so either way I sleep I have my shoulders rolled forward and back stretched out. I see your point about the spine, but that is apples and oranges. The spine is a series of bones and discs and does not suffer micro-tears that must be repaired while sleeping. Muscles, on the other hand, may be in a state of repair when you go to sleep, and if the micro-torn muscle is stretched while it rebuilds and heals, it makes sense to me that it would, over time, have greater potential.

Thanks for the response DU, keep it coming.
 
Growinboy

Growinboy

MuscleHead
Sep 25, 2010
502
44
I believe it is more genetics.. There was recently an article in PowerliftingUSA about how those inclined to have an athletic build generally have a similiar posture... It would seem to me that most people generally sleep in the position in which they are most comfortable...
 
milleniumgirl

milleniumgirl

Guest
Sep 12, 2010
617
18
I know the importance of sleep for a good recovery but I have always had sleep issues (can't sleep without a sleeping pill).
 
hugerobb

hugerobb

VIP Strength Advisor
Sep 15, 2010
2,027
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as for me I take 6 x10 min. naps a day its all about proper rest
 
IronInsanity

IronInsanity

TID Board Of Directors
May 3, 2011
3,386
1,089
This possibility has never crossed my mind. I would tend to dismiss it... but hey you never know. I would think that the amount and quality of sleep would be the only real factor (I know I need to get more).

Just in case... will sleeping on my stomach get me a 6-pack? :D

as for me I take 6 x10 min. naps a day its all about proper rest
You should change positions for each nap.... just to be safe :)
 
AllTheWay

AllTheWay

TID Lady Member
Mar 17, 2011
4,240
411
i am a huge believer in adequate sleep. that being said, not so sure that im in agreement with it affecting the way your muscles are able to grow because of the position you sleep in. i think the genetics behind it has the most to do with it, anything else you should be able to overcome by maintaining normal posture the rest of the day. being hunched around for 6-8 hours isnt going to influence your body more than standing up straight and working out the other 16-18hrs of the day. law of percentages :D
 
W

Wolf

MuscleHead
Dec 25, 2010
274
45
I think its a coincidence. Put it this way, lets you were able to maintain that stretch during the whole night in a significant manner, It would also mean flexation of other muscles, I would also have to think that low level flexing over a period of time would also cause growth as well.
 
SAD

SAD

TID Board Of Directors
Feb 3, 2011
3,673
2,293
I believe it is more genetics.. There was recently an article in PowerliftingUSA about how those inclined to have an athletic build generally have a similiar posture... It would seem to me that most people generally sleep in the position in which they are most comfortable...

i am a huge believer in adequate sleep. that being said, not so sure that im in agreement with it affecting the way your muscles are able to grow because of the position you sleep in. i think the genetics behind it has the most to do with it, anything else you should be able to overcome by maintaining normal posture the rest of the day. being hunched around for 6-8 hours isnt going to influence your body more than standing up straight and working out the other 16-18hrs of the day. law of percentages :D








Quote taken from the original post.

I know that genetics play the largest role in muscle shape and size, but could sleep position also play a role?

I agree that genetics are the governing laws, so to speak, of our size and shape. I am still curious, however, if there are any unexplored factors that may play a part, however small, in size and/or shape.
 
SAD

SAD

TID Board Of Directors
Feb 3, 2011
3,673
2,293
I think its a coincidence. Put it this way, lets you were able to maintain that stretch during the whole night in a significant manner, It would also mean flexation of other muscles, I would also have to think that low level flexing over a period of time would also cause growth as well.

So you're saying that it's possible to stretch the muscle that was worked out that day, thereby affecting growth, AND flex the opposing muscles, thereby causing further growth???!!!!! ;) [joke]

I just like to continue to search for things that may not have been explored, or have been explored but not from every angle. In THEORY this makes sense, but as DU pointed out, not many people stay in any one position all night. I guess now I just have to design a straight-jacket that can be adjusted to stretch different body parts and can velcro'd to the bed...... lol.
 
Mindlesswork

Mindlesswork

Crusty Poo Butt
Sep 21, 2010
1,395
33
I sleep on my back and occasionally on my sides
 
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