Did you know?
Neglecting sleep for the sake of exercise means you’re seriously limiting the benefits of your workout.
Have you previously sacrificed an hour of sleep for an hour at the gym? If you’re serious about fitness, there’s a good chance you’ve traded rest for extra time on the treadmill. But do you know that getting extra sleep is important in maintaining your fitness levels?
Sleep and fitness, along with a healthy diet, are the pillars of a healthy lifestyle. You can’t have one without the other two. So the best way to maintain your health is to ensure a proper balance between all three.
Sleep and fitness interact in all sorts of interesting ways. Below, we cover some of the most common concerns about how to balance the two.
How many hours of sleep do you need to recover from a workout?
You should always aim to get between 7-9 hours of sleep per night, whether to recover from a workout or maintain your health. For optimal health and workout recovery, you should consider the quality of your sleep in addition to how many hours you get.
Do you need to sleep more when you exercise?
If you’ve had a particularly hard workout, it’s possible that you may need more sleep than normal. Avoid oversleeping though! Even after a workout, you probably won’t need much more than the 7-9 hours of sleep.
Can you lose weight by sleeping?
You can definitely boost your effort to lose weight by sleeping enough. Maintaining a healthy sleep schedule helps keep your metabolism healthy, reduces your cravings for sugary foods, and keeps you energetic enough to live an active lifestyle.
How does sleep help muscle growth?
Sleep helps muscle growth because your body performs the majority of its muscle-building work while you sleep. In addition, sleeping enough will help you maintain the activity levels you need to build muscle.
Should you exercise with no sleep?
Putting your body through a strenuous workout when you’ve been up all night is not advisable. A lack of sleep can impair your coordination, leaving you more likely to injure yourself. Going for a brisk walk might make you feel a little better, but leave the running and weightlifting for another day.
Is working out before sleep good?
Working out right before bed may be a bad idea for most people, since your body generates stimulating hormones like cortisol and adrenaline during exercise. But studies suggest that those effects tend to wear off within an hour or two. So your best bet is to experiment and see what works for your body.