Back in the day, many people preferred cardio over strength training, as they saw lifting weights as something people did to build muscle and little else. However, as scientific research continued to highlight the health benefits of strength training, more people began picking up weights. Even women who had previously avoided weights because they feared looking bulky soon joined the movement.
Now, in this modern age, we have numerous people taking up strength training, be it for functional strength, aesthetics, or even just the health benefits. But while that may be so, not all of them see the gains that they expect after periods of strength training. Could a lack of adequate sleep be the barrier to their goals?
Let us find out.
How Does Sleep Impact Gains from Strength Training?
We train to become better in various aspects of life because there is always room for improvement. Airlines, for example, have already streamlined their operations over decades so as to offer high-quality services. But even they know they can always do better, which is why they rely on organisations like Magnetic Training, whose services are available at magnetictraining.co, to improve how they run their operations.
In the same way, if we want to improve our performance in the gym and get more out of our workouts, we have to think about what we can do differently. And for many people, the answer lies in changing how much we sleep. Why?
Well, to answer this, we have to look at how poor sleep affects our gains in the following ways:
Limited Muscle Growth
Strength training creates microtears in our muscles, and the body repairs them through a process called muscle protein synthesis, which makes the torn muscles bigger and stronger. However, this process mainly occurs during sleep. That means if you are not getting enough sleep, you are slowing down and shortening this process, thereby affecting your body’s ability to rebuild these tears. And if your muscles remain damaged, then you will not experience the gains you could have if you had slept enough.
Hormonal Changes
When you fall into deep sleep, your body releases the human growth hormone, which it uses to build muscle and burn fat. But if you are not getting enough sleep, your body starts releasing less of this hormone and more of cortisol, aka the stress hormone. And with these changes, you find that your body is more predisposed to storing fat if you are in a calorie surplus and is less able to break down muscle tissue.
Reduced Performance
Have you ever noticed that you tend to be less productive after a night of poor sleep? Well, this effect is not only visible in your mental focus but also in your gym performance. You see, your brain and nervous system determine how hard your muscles can contract during lifts, and if you are tired, your brain does not signal your muscles to fire at maximum force.
At the same time, poor sleep affects your body’s ability to convert and store carbohydrates into glycogen, which is the fuel you need to power your contractions. And it also decreases your insulin sensitivity, thus making it harder for your body to regulate blood sugar levels.
As a result, lifts start feeling heavier, and you are unable to lift as much, which impacts just how much muscle you can build.
Risk of Injury
Sleep deprivation also causes brain fog and can slow down your reaction time. Therefore, it becomes quite possible to injure yourself by using the wrong form or making the wrong judgment when handling weights.
How Much Sleep Is Enough?
The usual sleep advice centres on getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep. However, for people who strength train, especially those who do heavy lifts, the best target range is 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night, which should be a consistent part of your routine. Sleep quality also matters, as you need enough deep sleep.
