For many of us, unfortunately a good night’s sleep is something that commonly evades us. It seems as if no matter how early we get into bed, once we try going to sleep, we can’t switch off our brains and we find ourselves more awake than we felt during the day. Sleep however, isn’t something that should be taken for granted. We do the majority of our healing, both spiritually and physically, when we sleep, which is why it’s vital that we get enough. For those of you looking to bulk up and pile on the muscle mass, if you find that your gains just aren’t coming, no matter how hard you train and how strict your diet is, the problem could be your sleeping schedule. Here’s a look at the importance of sleep for recovery.
Why is sleep important in general?
Before we look at the importance of sleep for recovery after a gruelling workout in the gym, let’s first look at why sleep is considered to be so important in general. When we sleep, the body carries out a number of vital physiological processes, especially when it comes to healing itself. This is why you may go to bed feeling unwell, suffering from a bad cold perhaps, and wake up the next day feeling much better. It’s why we feel awesome when we wake up in the morning after a solid 8 hours, compared with waking up after just 5 hours of poor-quality sleep.
Sleep and recovery
So why is sleep so important for recovery after a workout? Well, some people out there seem to think that muscle is made in the gym. When we lift weights however, we aren’t building muscle at all. What we’re actually doing is the exact opposite. By lifting weights, we are destroying muscle tissue by creating microscopic rips and tears in the muscle tissue. We build muscle when the body repairs this damage. Not wanting the same damage to occur again, the body repairs the damage by creating even more muscle tissue, which is even bigger and stronger than the last. It’s the equivalent of fortifying coastal defences during heavy seas. Providing you are putting enough protein and nutrients into your body before you sleep, protein synthesis rates will increase, and more muscle will be built. A lack of sleep also results in suppressed glycogen storage capabilities, which means that the muscles will store less glycogen. As glycogen is key source of energy for the muscles, this is the last thing you want as it means the muscles will have less fuel the next day.
Sleep and cortisol
In order for optimal muscle growth to take place, the body requires certain anabolic hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone. After a tough workout, the body produces a stress hormone known as cortisol. Cortisol is highly catabolic, which means it results in muscle wastage. Cortisol suppresses the production of testosterone, growth hormone, and other anabolic hormones, resulting in the muscles being broken down. Studies have found that a lack of sleep can result in elevated levels of cortisol in the body – resulting in greater levels of muscle catabolism. A great way of reducing cortisol is therefore to get more sleep. Experts recommend between 7 and 9 hours each night.
