"We don't sleep to dream"
"We sleep to build stamina,"
"Energy to do our thing"
"Grab your camera!"
lyrics from FORT MINOR
Sleep is the most important tool you will ever have when it comes to recovery and regeneration. You know you don't get stronger lifting weights right? Lifting actually destroys your body, it's the recovery your body throws at the process that makes you stronger. The number one reason is Growth Hormone.
Growth Hormone is a hormone your body produces. Its effects include but aren't limited to: decreased body fat, increased muscle mass, supports a strong immune system, increased energy, healthy skin, increased bone density, just to name a few.....sound great right? Well your body produces a little over half of this when you sleep, so when you start cutting hours, your cutting out growth hormone and those hours start to add up. Having trouble losing that last little bit of belly fat and your eating and exercising right? Check your sleep patterns. Not getting stronger in the gym? Again, check your sleep patterns.
I don't know of any hard training athletes that don't get 7.5-9 hours a night. In fact, most even sneak in a nap to add sleep to their routine. If your not reaching your athletic goals or aren't recovering from your workouts, look at your sleep, it may hold the answer. In the next post I'll show some practical ways to improve the sleep your getting.
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