People have a tendency to overlook mundane details and focus on more exciting things, and with fitness it’s no different. We obsess about our training routines—what exercises to use, how much weight to lift, how many repetitions to perform, and how often to train.
It’s not uncommon to find a complete beginner following a highly complex routine that is far too advance for them, despite the fact that a basic, “boring” novice routine would deliver the same results with less hassle. When it comes to eating, they’ll invest tons of cash into five different pre-, post-, and intra-workout protein shakes, without ever first making sure their day-to-day diet is adequate. With this type of mindset, it’s no surprise that many trainees are ignoring one of the most crucial elements of a successful training program: getting enough sleep.
We’ve all had the importance sleep drilled into out heads for years, but as we seek to cram more work or leisure into our daily lives, sleep is often the first thing to be sacrificed. While skimping on sleep every now and then isn’t a significant problem for most, regularly or semi-regularly getting inadequate amounts of sleep can really sabotage one’s health and fitness goals.
The most obvious reason for this is energy levels. Exercise in general is physically demanding, but activities like intense weight training, sports, or cardiovascular conditioning place some pretty serious demands on the body. Without adequate sleep, energy levels suffer and performance can significantly decrease as a result. For trainees with ambitious goals, a regular decrease in performance is going to mean results slowing down or even coming to a grinding halt. Even those who are just exercising to stay in shape are likely to find their motivation completely zapped. The low energy levels may become an excuse to not exercise at all.
Less obvious, but also worth noting, is that the human body needs adequate amounts of sleep to properly function. Okay, actually that is obvious, but most trainees don’t know that getting inadequate amounts of sleep can elevate stress-related hormones, like cortisol. Why should we care?
Because chronically elevated cortisol levels not only encourage the body to store more fat (as we’ve all heard numerous times in ads for snake-oil weight-loss supplements) but it also has a catabolic effect on muscle tissue. It’s a recipe for more body fat and less muscle mass, the exact opposite of what any gym-goer is trying to accomplish.
Other important hormones may be influenced by sleep, such as the male sex-hormone testosterone. Testosterone is king when it comes to muscle building, which is why it isn’t uncommon to find less scrupulous college and professional athletes injecting themselves with up to several times the amount of testosterone the average male produces. While I’d never suggest that anybody take such measures, especially with the laws surrounding hormone use today, having sub-par levels of testosterone isn’t a particularly good situation for someone looking to gain muscle and lose fat. Much like the scenario of chronically elevated cortisol, low testosterone levels will translate into increased body fat and decreased muscle mass.
For those who have trouble falling asleep or getting restful sleep, supplements may be able to help (it should go without saying that I’m not a doctor, and that individuals should consult a medical professional before taking new supplements or medications). Personally, I sometimes use a product that contains a combination of valerian, melatonin, and bacopa. Many have also had success with magnesium or GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid).
In my opinion, these supplements are superior to the more common methods of falling asleep, such as taking diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or nighttime cold medicines. I find these drugs definitely help me get to sleep, but it is very difficult to fully wake up the following day. They produce a lingering brain fog. ?