It’s a well-known fact that most adults do not get enough sleep. It seems difficult to take the time necessary to get in the recommended 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night with our busy lifestyles. We allow this to happen to our detriment. Not getting enough sleep can have a number of negative impacts to your health. A lack of sleep can impact your mood and ability to maintain focus, memory, weight, and athletic performance. Are you looking for ways to boost your next workout? Sleep may hold the key. Let’s take a look at the importance of getting good sleep to your workout.

How sleep helps

Sleep is the magic pill that leads to the road of recovery. As your body rests, it naturally repairs itself and builds muscle. As you sleep, your body uses less energy. This resting phase allows your body to direct valuable resources to rebuild and recover. Post-workout, this is crucial to restoring our body. Poor sleep habits ultimately hamper recovery, focus, and leads to reduced performance. Proper sleep also helps boost your energy level, making it possible to bring your best to your next workout. Gains can also be realized in stamina, speed, accuracy, agility, focus, and motivation.

Aside from the workout benefits, there are other positives to getting enough sleep. Sleep boosts our immune system, helping you fight off disease. Proper sleep can also help you feel motivated and contributes to helping stave off depression.

Exercise helps sleep

With all the focus on how much sleep can positively impact workouts, the opposite is true as well. Exercise can help with sleeping better. Exercise can reduce stress, anxiety, and cause the release of endorphins that aid in relaxing and sleeping more restfully. Don’t think exercising in the evening is something to worry about. There is no proof that exercising at night will keep you awake. You can still get a productive and good night’s sleep even if you regularly workout in the evening.

We know that sleep is important to your workouts and your general well-being, so what can you do if you do not get enough? Here are a few tips:

• Watch caffeine intake – If you are sensitive to caffeine, know what time of day your cutoff should be to avoid not being able to sleep.
• Avoid drinking at bedtime – too much water late in the evening can lead to bladder pressure and middle of the night bathroom trips. The same is true for alcohol.
• Establish a bedtime routine – turn off technology and engage in restful activities such as reading. Do this about an hour before bedtime.

Your goal should be 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night to achieve the maximum benefits of sleep.

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