AdvancedWorkoutsJen's Blog

 

There are many aspects to fitness training -- some obvious, others not so much. We all know we need to eat a well-balanced and healthy diet (uh, no Little Debbie snack cakes except for a rare treat, k?) and keep up a challenging (and regular) exercise schedule. But the one aspect that gets overlooked the most -- and is crucially important -- is sleep.

Yep, that's right. Good ol' shut eye. Not only is it a wonderful way to occupy your time during the wee hours, but it's also absolutely necessary and essential to achieving your fitness goals. Believe it or not, sleep is one of your most valuable tools for growth and fitness advancement.Muscle growth occurs not during the actual time you spend working out, but during the recovery period after a workout.

During rest (and, most specifically, during the full relaxation of sleep) your body is doing exactly what you've been working toward ever since you lifted that first dumbbell -- building wonderful, beautiful, metabolism-fueling muscle. However, if you're one of the countless people who are so busy they don't manage to get enough sleep, you may be short-changing your body's muscle-building potential. You need to allow your body to take advantage of the full benefits of a secure night of sleep -- a few hours just don't cut it. Deep, positive relaxation for at least eight hours is a must.

In addition, if you don't get enough sleep over an extended period of time, it can have an intoxicating effect on your body. No, really, I'm being serious here! The Journal of Applied Sports Science did a study, and discovered that if you're awake for 24 hours straight, it has the same physical effect as a blood alcohol content of 0.096 (yes, that is above the legal driving limit in most states).

Obviously, working out when you're totally sleep deprived (or even slightly sleep deprived) isn't such a hot idea. Why? Well, for a lot of reasons. First, you lack muscular coordination when you're sleepy, whether you realize it or not--which puts you at a higher risk for injury. I mean really, think about it: would you head off to your local bar, indulge enough for an over-the-driving limit of alcohol to hit your system, and then head off to the gym? I seriously doubt it. So, if you've had a rough night of sleep and can feel the drowsy effects the next day, you're better off lying low on that step until you can do a routine without falling flat on your ass (or worse, dropping a weight on your foot or something).

So what can you do to use sleep as an enhancement to your fitness routine, rather than an impediment? Here's a few tips:

• Try to avoid working out right before bedtime. Your body temperature is a crucial regulator to your sleep cycle -- when your body temp drops, you'll get sleepy. As you have probably already guess, working out totally raises your core body temperature, so ... well, 2+2=4. Get it? Good.
• Try to go to bed and get up in the morning at the same time every day -- even on weekends. (Ouch! Am I asking too much here?)
• Don't let any newborns hang around your house. Okay, I'm kidding here. If you're a new mom, please take naps when your baby takes naps. Yeah, I know -- I've been there, done that, and it's so tempting to try to squeeze in a load of laundry or something during that precious baby downtime. But if you need extra sleep, that's going to be better for you than clean undies. Make your husband do that work (Hahahahaha, as if! I crack myself up sometimes!)

 

So How Much Sleep Do you Need?

The amount of sleep each person needs depends on a lot of things, including age. For the average adult, about 8 hours a night seems to be the optimal amount of sleep, although some people may need as few as 5 hours or as many as 10 hours of sleep each day. As with all things food and fitness related, trust your body. Listen to it. Learn its rhythms and needs.

Oh, and just so you know -- if ya don't get enough sleep, you will go into debt. Really. "Sleep debt" is like being overdrawn with your bank account or something. Sooner or later, your body is going to demand that the debit be repaid like, ASAP. People just don't seem to adapt to getting less sleep than our bodies need. Maybe we'll get used to a sleep-deprived schedule, and it may not feel like you're sleepy, but you are. Your reaction times and other functions are still impaired.

So, go to sleep already!