5 Ways Your Sleep Health Is Affecting Your Fitness Goals
It’s very easy to prioritize your morning workout routine over adequate sleep. I had a friend who despite going to bed late would always wake up very early every day just to get to the gym on time. Unfortunately, sleep is one of the things that are underestimated by most people. What we don’t realize is that sleep has a great impact on our fitness goals. If you are having difficulties achieving your fitness goals, you might want to take a look at your sleep health. Below are the reasons why.
How Proper Sleep Health Enhances Your Fitness Goals
- Increased Energy Levels
The level of energy you have during your workout exercise is greatly affected by the quality of sleep you get. Maintaining a constant workout routine helps your body to get used to some routine. You’ll realize that if you work out every day at the right time, you’ll find it easier to fall asleep in the evening. A good night of sleep will help with your muscles to recover and restore all your energy making it readily available for your next day workout.
Inadequate sleep, on the other hand, will make you feel tired all the time and sluggish. As a result, you’ll tend to grab energy foods and beverages to replace the energy you didn't restore during sleep. This results in consumption of extra calories which will again take more time to burn out.
- Increased Metabolism
Your body is able to recuperate from your daily exercise while asleep hence leading to restoration of metabolism. In addition, according to research, your body releases hormones that help in metabolism while you sleep. These include cortisol and growth hormone (GH).
- Appetite Control
Ghrelin (a hormone that affects appetite) is always high in people who have poor sleeping habits. This hormone increases your craving for food and you will always feel hungry. A healthy sleep reduces the production of Ghrelin and increases the production of Leptin which consequently results in a better weight loss experience. This is according to a research by PLoS Med.
- A Boost in Your Health
There is a close relationship between sleep and the immune system. When you sleep, disease-fighting substances, such as melatonin, are released into our bodies. According to Dr. Mercola, our bodies are able to fight diseases such as cancer due to these proteins, hormones, and chemicals that are released during sleep.
If you are sleep deprived, these substances will not be available to fight infections, viruses, and bacteria. As a result, you will get more prone to diseases or take a longer time to heal. This does not mean you dedicate extra hours of sleep, but rather ensuring you get at least seven hours of sleep each day.
- Lack of Focus
According to the National Sleep Research Project, if you stay awake for 17 hours, you will start behaving like someone who has taken alcohol. Therefore the lack of sleep can hinder your focus, vigilance, and attention making it more difficult to practice your fitness regimen.
In Conclusion
If you want to be successful in your fitness goals, learn to prioritize your sleep health. How can you do that? By creating a sleeping routine, ‘turning off’ your brain at least two hours before you get to bed, and most importantly make your bedroom your small sanctuary.
Remember that sometimes it might take as long as 30 days for the routine to work. Don’t lose hope. If you can’t use all the tactics, start by employing some and before you realize it you will be enjoying your sleep. For you to meet your fitness goals, you need to combine eating healthy, doing your exercises regularly, and getting quality sleep for your body’s rejuvenation.
Bio: Sarah is the editor of sleepydeep.com. Feeling the repercussions of being an irregular sleeper for far too long, she decided to do something about it. She learned why sleep is so important and how to maximize it, and is now helping others who are struggling to find their right sleep routine.
