Sleep
Recovery is probably the part of the training or workout cycle that most people neglect. Its not that people forget to sleep, but instead that its importance is not understood and thus it is not taken as seriously as it should. Sleep isn’t just the thing that makes you feel more alert and awake when you get out of bed but it is also the time that your body recovers. It is the time that allows you to get the most out of all the hard work you do in your workouts or in training on the field.
So why is sleep so important? More than just not being tired, sleep plays a critical role in muscles after exercise. It is during sleep that muscle protein synthesis occurs. This is the process in which the muscle rebuilds and increases in response to training. Essentially all training creates damaged tissue, but the body’s response to this damage is what produces the desired improvements in size and strength. When the body is asleep is when it’s able to go through these processes that produce the desired adaptations. It is also during sleep that the body produces hormones such as cortisol and testosterone. Cortisol is critical in the body’s response to stress and the inflammation response as well as increasing the metabolism of glucose. This all means that cortisol will help to fight off the inflammation from working out and in breaking down glucose helps provide energy. Without enough sleep, below optimal cortisol levels will be produced and thus the individual will feel more sore and less alert.
Not getting optimal amounts or quality of sleep has a negative impact, so it is essential for any athlete to work to make the most of their sleep. Fox et al. (2020) found that injuries decreased by 67% in young athletes that slept the optimal 8 hours of sleep as compared to those who had less than 8 hours. They also saw that injury risk was increased with less than 8 hours of sleep (Fox et al., 2020). This indicates that the potential of injury and the occurrence of injuries matched up, further demonstrating the importance of getting enough hours of sleep. It has also been found that the all-important muscle protein synthesis that was mentioned previously is also reduced with sleep less than 8 hours. Getting at least 8 hours of sleep appears to be the goal for athletes and those working out with any sort of intensity. This amount of sleep allows the body ample time to rebuild and repair from the preceding stress and strain, thus allowing the individual to get the most out of their workouts and training.
Working to optimize sleep is essential, whether the person is working out at high intensity, training for sport, or even just under stress in life. Sleep allows the body to recuperate from these stressors and to rebuild. Optimizing sleep looks like getting eight or more hours of sleep. It looks like sleeping in a cool, dark room allowing the body to reach its optimal sleep state. These things ensure that when the individual is asleep, that their body is recovering to its highest potential. Sleep is essential and should not be overlooked. This is the time to reap the benefits of those sweat hours in the gym or on the field. Make sure to sleep well to get everything out of training.
-Tyler Grisdale, MS, CSCS, RSCC, FRC, TPI
Reference
Fox, J.L., Scanlan, A.T., Stanton, R. et al. Insufficient Sleep in Young Athletes? Causes, Consequences, and Potential Treatments. Sports Med 50, 461–470 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01220-8