While few people can manage different tasks without sleep, most people cannot function well with little or no sleep at all. Instead, they tend to be affected by the lack of sleep. Whether you are busy with work, school, or family stuff, it can be hard to get to sleep sometimes. This can have adverse negative effects on your health and mental state. It can also impact your physical state, especially if you’re a physically fit person. Sleep and exercise have to go hand in hand if you want a healthy lifestyle.
Energy drinks, tea and coffee boost and energize the body but their effects are not long-term. They would only work for some time, but the moment your body gets used to them, they stop being as effective as they once were. As crucial as it is to train and stay physically fit, so is getting enough sleep. Below is a look at the importance of sleep in fitness.
Cell composition and repair
During exercise, your body responds by stimulating and inhibiting physiological processes. This allows you to exercise more efficiently. Sleep is very important in energy metabolism and when your body is deprived of sleep your fat cells might not function properly. Fat cells store and release energy in our bodies, enhancing important body functions. The proper functioning of fat cells influences blood pressure, thyroid function and even reproduction.
According to research, lack of enough sleep can cause an insulin imbalance which has the potential to cause serious weight gain. In turn, excess weight gain can lead to obesity and possibly diabetes, which results in a bigger health issue.
Regulation of body functions
When it comes to the regulation of the central nervous system and cognitive function, sleep is a very crucial aspect. Sleep deprivation can affect the immune system, making your body develop things like a cold, which gets worse, especially during the night. Sleep in fitness allows the concentration of growth hormone enhancing muscle growth and repair. For people engaged in intense physical fitness exercises, sleep can increase your strength and power, energy storage, and reduce the risk of injury.
Performance
An active lifestyle requires that your body gets plenty of rest after the fitness session. Plenty of rest will allow you to perform at your best capacity since you are more energized after resting. Schedule your daily fitness routine at the right time and incorporate at least 7-8 hours of sleep along with time for physical activity. This balances the effects of both. For intense workouts, you may need more than 8 hours to recover your muscles before the next workout session.
Reduces overeating
Physical fitness entails having a healthy and fit body. Sufficient sleep allows your body to balance hunger hormones like ghrelin which signals your body to eat more. Lack of sleep increases the production of more ghrelin, which causes hunger. Another hormone, called leptin informs your body when it’s had enough food. When sleeping your body produces less leptin, but when the two hormones don’t work due to sleep deprivation you will overeat leading to weight gain.
In cases where you can’t sleep, sleep aids can come in handy. If you have sleeplessness issues, Shop Sleep Aids and receive the best pharmacist formulated sleep aid solution. Always develop a routine, avoid exercising too late and reduce caffeine and other stimulants’ intake in the evening which will disrupt your sleep. Also, if you are an alcohol lover, try and limit your alcohol, which has a sedative-like effect.
