“Have a good tight sleep”, this statement is commonly made by parents and when you were kids you know how it felt when your parents used that. Few of us knew that time that going to bed early is not only a good habit but also a necessity for healthy body. As we grow up we come to realize the importance of a good, tight sleep. According to the Dean of Sleep Disorders Research and Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, William C. Dement, MD, PhD, “Americans have gotten the message that good nutrition and plenty of exercise are important for health, but we have not paid enough attention to the third pillar of good health, which is adequate sleep.”
So, why sleeping is so important for bodybuilding?
Sleep impacts our mental, emotional and physical well being in a number of ways. Our body does most of its repairing and developmental tasks when we are asleep. Production of growth hormones which are responsible for the growth and development of overall body is at peak during sleeping hours. Bodybuilders know the fact that proper sleep is necessary for recovery of body from all the stress and workout anxiety.
Sleeping affects muscle building in body in a number of ways. Protein synthesis is at peak during the sleeping hours which affect production of new muscle cells in the body. Muscles recover themselves when our body is at complete rest this improves endurance and recovery time.
Minimum sleep of 8 hours is mandatory for all. You should make sure that you are providing your body complete rest while working out to maximize the efforts. If you are using supplements for bodybuilding make sure that you do not take them before going to bed as it is going to hinder natural production of growth hormones in the body.
Not only the physical body but during sleep brain power is also enhanced. Adenosine levels decline during sleep which increases its alertness and helps it to recharge. A healthy brain is key to a healthy to a healthy body. For bodybuilders an alert brain plays a vital role as it aids muscle building and stress recovery.
Sleep Loss Effects
You should know when your body needs to sleep as it starts giving you warning signals. Regularly depriving your body of sleep can take serious toll on you. Some of the major side effects of sleep loss include:
- Depression
- Recurring headaches
- Problematic heart functioning
- Poor body developed
- Dark circles and wrinkles
- Disturbed metabolism
If you are facing any of these difficulties then you need proper sleep. There are some ways to improve the quality of your sleep. Here are the few:
- Sleep at same time schedule daily
- Minimize light and noise in your bedroom
- Do not eat at least an hour before going to bed
- Do not workout intensively a couple of hours before sleep time
- Avoid caffeine drinks and alcohol
All this will help you to better your sleep and in turn boost your bodybuilding benefits.
Mike Shiles is a bodybuilder, gym owner, freelance writer, success coach and author of “Burn fat build muscle. He has written thousands of articles on exercise, nutrition and health.