Muscle Sport Magazine

Importance of Sleep to Bodybuilding

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Bodybuilders are always on the hunt for new and improved ways to increase their muscles. Dietary is among the latest method that has been well documented for helping bodybuilders add muscles.

But, could sleep be crucial to bodybuilding?

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) points out that adults need seven or more hours of sleep to be at their best health and wellbeing. A well-known professor, Michael Colgan, further stated that ‘even if your training and nutrition program came straight from the mouth of God, without adequate rest, your body will fail to adapt‘. These statements clearly show the importance of sleep.

Let’s look at seven ways sleep affects bodybuilding:

  1. Repair Worn Out Tissues

Sleeping is one of the easiest ways to allocate enough time for your muscles to self-heal.

You can lift all the weights you need, follow different training programs or even rely on various pre-workout diets, but your muscles repair and grow when you rest and sleep.

  1. Ample Sleep Equals Better Performance

Besides increasing the strength of your muscles, sufficient sleep also helps with the coordination of muscles. Simply put, after you sleep you will practice several body movements during the day.

Good sleeping is also tied to improved performance in athletics, including agility, reflexing, and greater speed. A recent report shows basketball players who added two hours of sleep experienced a boost in speed and reaction on the court by up to 5%. Add some hours to sleep too to improve how well you perform in your workouts.

  1. Helps in Releasing Growth Hormones

You’ve probably heard that some athletes illegally take growth hormones together with tissue building (anabolic) steroids. Usually, they aim to build muscle, increase athletic performance, and decrease body fat.

But, did you know that sleep can help with the natural production of these hormones?

Well, when you’re in deep sleep your body secretes the human growth hormones, which majorly contribute to the increase in bones and tissues (causes a notable gain physically).

  1. May Reduce Stress When Training

Inadequate or lack of sleep promotes the secretion of the stress hormone (cortisol). Since bodybuilding is a physical activity that puts stress on your body (muscles and nervous system), you’ll need enough sleep to recoup while keeping your body in its peak shape.

The more you train, the more you need to shut your eyes.

  1. Sleep to Relax

Your body needs a calm and peaceful time to work on muscle repairs (resulting from stress and other traumas).

There are several ways to get a better night’s sleep and to ensure nothing interrupts your sleeping pattern. They include:

  • Taking a warm bath before going to bed
  • Tuning up your room to bring out the best sleeping environment (using dark curtains or snoozing with no or minimal lights)
  • Avoiding too many stimulating beverages
  • No sleeping pills before bed
  • Soothing music
  • Having a sleeping schedule

These tricks will help you make sleep a priority and reap its benefits in your bodybuilding.

  1. Recharge Your Brain

During sleep, your brain is resting (recharging). Energy levels after a healthy sleep tend to be high, and your mind is ready to store information and remain alert during the day.

As a bodybuilder, you need high mental alertness to go through your training.

  1. Conserves Energy for Body Building

When you sleep, you lower the energy consumption. That is, you will biologically save energy which will ready you for intense training sessions during the day.

Also, it’s during sleep when the body uses food to replace energy and rebuild muscle.

The Number One Recipe for Body Building Success! 

Not only does lack of sleep affect the success of your bodybuilding, but it also makes you more vulnerable to short and long-term health risks.

You cannot underestimate the power that sleep has to your health and its impact on adding more muscle to your body.

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