Though you might not give it much thought, sleep is actually vital to the success of your fitness training. As long as you get enough sleep consistently, you’re actually doing yourself a huge favor. Here are just a few ways nightly rest can impact muscle repair and growth for the better.

MUSCLE AND TISSUE REPAIR

A lot goes on in your body while you’re sleeping. Your muscles and tissues use this opportunity, if given enough fuel throughout the day, to rest and repair themselves in preparation for the day ahead. This kind of repair process is how muscles grow stronger. This is why not sleeping enough can completely ruin your training progress. Get some sleep if you want to see results.

LOWER ENERGY CONSUMPTION

Sleep isn’t just about rest and repair, though that’s a major part of what makes it so important. The way your body uses energy while at rest also changes compared to how it’s used when you are fully awake. Everything slows down once you drift off, including your body’s energy consumption. That means any energy left over from that day (calories) typically gets used in the growth and repair process. This is why some recommend eating before bed or in the middle of the night if you really want to bulk up. You don’t have to – but it could help.

What happens when you don’t sleep enough? Other than feeling exhausted, your muscles don’t get a chance to repair themselves, which makes it harder for them to grow and get stronger. Sleep. Seriously. How much sleep you need depends on how much sleep you need to feel rested – some can do with five or six; others need eight to 10. If you feel well rested when you wake up, you likely don’t need to change anything. Your muscles need this.

Source

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