The benefits of sleep on your health and fitness

The benefits of sleep on your health and fitness

The following is an informative, beneficial and useful article on the many benefits of sleep and how sleep can boost our health and fitness. This great article discusses how sleep impacts on our mood, metabolism, our muscles, attention span and physical health. It is no secret that sleep and exercise are related - the more we work out, the better quality sleep we will have. The more sleep we have and we can perform better when exercising.

High 5,

Matt

Many of us are guilty of underestimating the power and importance of a good night’s sleep. With increasingly busy modern-day schedules, it can be tricky to squeeze everything into your 24 hours, with many people sacrificing the amount of sleep they get to make time for other things.

If you find yourself regularly skipping sleep, read on to discover what this could be affecting.

1) Your mood
A good night’s sleep can have a large positive impact on your mood: happier on the inside equates to happier on the outside, meaning you’re more likely to be determined and motivated for the day ahead.
However, just as little as one sleepless night can cause low mood, irritability and a concentration deficit, according to The Sleep Council. Additionally, chronic sleep disorders like insomnia are a common characteristic found in those with anxiety and mood disorders. This then turns into a vicious circle for these individuals, with doctors unsure of which issue arose first.

2) Your metabolic speed
For most people, the main purpose of working out is to achieve a certain aesthetic, whether that be building muscle or reducing fat — both of which depend on your metabolism to be working efficiently and effectively. A lack of sleep can deter you from your healthy eating plan by increasing grehlin (the hunger hormone) and reducing leptin (the full-feeling hormone). This can majorly obstruct the way your hormones break down — or fail to break down, in this case! — the fatty acids you ingest, making it harder to reach your health and fitness aspirations.

3) Your muscles
Muscle relaxation is at its peak when you’re asleep, meaning sleep acts as a window of opportunity for muscle rebuild and repair. Where there is a consistent lack of sleep, your muscles can be left feeling tired and sensitive, hindering progress in future fitness sessions and increasing the risk of injury.
Memory foam mattresses, like these ones from Dormeo, are often considered to be the best for your joints and muscles, ensuring you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to tackle your fitness goals.

4) Your attention span
It’s common for people to be told to get a good night’s rest before sitting an exam or test, and it’s no different for fitness training. A lack of sleep can contribute to a reduction in your concentration and attention, creating potential risks to your fitness routine. This is particularly the case for people who are regularly working with weights, which requires a sound mind-muscle connection to see the greatest effects.

5) Your physical health
A lack of sleep, despite if training is consistent or increased, can prevent health and fitness goals from being achieved.
The NHS says that having consistently disrupted sleep can be detrimental to your health, putting you at risk of various diseases and shortening your life expectancy – undoing all of the hard work you’re putting in. The reduced concentration associated with a lack of sleep can also increase risk of injury or accident, causing possible complications to your physical wellbeing as well.

As the above 5 points show, a consistently good sleep pattern can see a range of positive benefits.
By being aware of the negatives a lack of sleep can bring, you’ll be able to recognize the signs and quickly make changes to accommodate a better lifestyle — and finally get round to reaching those New Year's fitness resolutions!

 

Add new comment

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
"I would highly recommend him to anyone seeking a tailored, passionate and "human" personal trainer with guaranteed results!"