Does lack of sleep affect muscle growth and performance?
Many athletes believe that the more time they spend training, the better the results, but many ignore how important sleep is for muscle growth. Getting enough sleep is very important for increasing muscle mass and improving training performance.
How does sleep affect muscle growth?
Here’s what happens during sleep:
- Glucose: It is a type of simple sugar that breaks down to produce energy in the body. Any sugar you eat is broken down to glucose because it’s the only sugar the body can use for energy. Our muscles can use it too. During sleep, blood glucose is stored in muscles as muscle glycogen. This glycogen is a great source of energy for the body. Not getting enough sleep reduces the rate at which muscle glycogen is replenished. The more glycogen stored in muscles, the better the endurance in workouts and the better the results from training.
- Human growth hormone (HGH) It’s a key factor causing muscle recovery and growth. It also affects bone growth and controls metabolism in the human body. To boost growth hormone during sleep, trainers advise weightlifters to eat high-protein and carb meals 30 minutes before and after workouts, called mass fuel.
- Afor amino acids The ones in the proteins we eat are used by the body to build muscle. Without enough sleep, the body can’t do these tasks for muscle growth.
So what’s the relation between sleep and muscle growth:
First: Less sleep = less muscle
In 2011, scientists studied two groups of trainees to see how sleep deprivation affects muscle growth and recovery. They set a sleep schedule for 72 hours, gave everyone the same diet with proper calories. One group slept 5.5 hours, the other 8.5 hours daily. Those who slept 8.5 hours had 40% more muscle mass, while the 5.5-hour group had 60% less muscle mass at the study’s end. Shows how strong sleep’s effect is on muscle recovery and growth.
Second: Lack of sleep hurts performance.
According to a 2008 study, lack of sleep negatively affects energy levels and causes mood swings. Mood swings are important and affect emotional state, so they directly impact sports performance. Good sleep helps you perform better during workouts, increases endurance, improves mental function, and leads to faster muscle growth.
Third: choosing a proper and comfortable mattress for sleep (a new mattress)
The same study showed that sleeping on a comfortable mattress makes sleep more restful and beneficial, which increases the energy levels of trainees and thus better muscle growth. People who slept on a new, comfortable mattress for 7 to 8 hours had more energy and performed better in training.
Fourth: effects of lack of sleep
It leads to low energy, weak effort below what’s needed with poor performance, which results in less muscle growth.
- Tips for getting proper sleep -
1- Avoid intense heavy activity right before going to sleep.
Because doing high-intensity activity releases a lot of energy in the body, this activity should happen at least three hours before sleeping, since this high energy makes it hard to sleep well at night.
2- Keep a good sleep schedule.
You should keep consistent sleep times for maximum benefit because sleep has a daily 24-hour cycle. So, organizing your sleep times makes it more useful for your body. It's best to sleep and wake up at similar times every day (if you start sleeping before midnight, you'll get more satisfying sleep).
3- Drink a protein shake before bed:
During sleep, amino acids, which come from breaking down proteins, are used to build and grow muscles. So when you have a protein shake before bed, you provide simple proteins your body needs to build muscle faster. Eating a protein-rich meal takes longer to digest and convert into amino acids for muscle growth. So protein shakes work faster.
(So don’t forget dear follower to work with a specialist trainer to find the right exercises for you and get the right amount of sleep to reach the great results you want).
