In today’s Fitness Minute Parker Lennon ACSM Personal Trainer gives his take on Sleep. Sometimes underemphasized sleep is the way your body recovers, the way it rebuilds, the way you are able to make gains from working out. Sleep helps mental clarity, which helps you stay focused on your goals. Sleep also lowers stress and anxiety from the daily grind, and your workouts. Checkout the video below!
Sleep for muscle recover and growth
Sleep is essential for recovery and muscle growth. Sleep is the ultimate factor in your exercise gains because your body is repair mode, utilizing this time to secret growth hormone that actively recovers the muscles you broke down the day before.
“During the physically restorative phases of non-REM deep sleep, your blood pressure drops and your breathing becomes deeper and slower. Your brain is resting with very little activity, so the blood supply available to your muscles increases, delivering extra amounts of oxygen and nutrients which facilitate their healing and growth. Muscles and tissues are rejuvenated and new cells are regenerated during this phase of sleep.”
-Becky Miller, livestrong.com
How much sleep do you need?
8 hours is considered “normal” sleep. You are considered to be sleep deprived if you sleep four hours or less per night, while . The National Sleep Foundation’s sleep guidelines recommend 7-9 hours for the average adult. While a late night partying or studying will probably do little harm, the cumulative effect of poor sleep will have a negative impact on your muscles. (In other words that weekend trip to Vegas kills your gains bro!)
Having trouble sleeping?