Sleep and bodybuilding. How to sleep to gain muscles. Part 1

Apr 10th 2020

Fitness

Every bodybuilder know that sleep is absolutely important part of athlete’s life and serves many vital functions. But it often is neglected due to lack of knowledge about benefits sleep has or influence it causes.

Bodybuilding is based on three main components – training routine, diet, and recovery. Recovery and rest is a complex process, but the main factor in it is sleep. If you have sophisticated training and nutrition programs, but you don’t pay attention to adequate rest, you will not achieve perfect muscle growth.

Throughout this article, you will know what the sleep I and how much time we need to spend sleeping.

How much time should be spent sleeping?

The most common recommendation is, on average, 8-10 hours per night. It should be noted that this is a subjective factor, and the optimal duration of sleep for each person is individual. Many people today sleep much less time – about 5-7 hours because of lack of time, high-intensity work schedule, and falling asleep problems.

The Stages Of Sleep And The Sleep/Wake Cycle.

Sleep includes several periods and stages of sleep can be divided. Knowing about sleep stages is important for bodybuilders, and the most efficient rest for the body can be provided only by going through all these stages. During the night, people usually have about five sleep cycles.

A biological clock regulates Sleep\wake cycle by the time of day. When the morning comes up, and the sunlight is everywhere, our body produces such hormones as adrenaline and dopamine. At the same time level of other hormones decreases, and it is easy to wake up. In the evening concentration of serotonin, melatonin, and gamma-aminobutyric acid increases, allowing us to relax and prepare the body for sleep.

The researches describes five stages of REM and Non-REM sleep cycles:

Stage 1 is falling asleep. It is light sleep where you drift in and out of sleep and can be awakened easily. The body becomes relaxed, and sudden muscle contractions may occur.
Stage 2 is also not deep sleep. Body and brain continue to relax, and the breath slows down; the same happens with the heart rate.
Stage 3 and 4 are called deep sleep. These are the stages that are considered most important for rest, muscle recovery, and the whole body; these are the phases most important for the bodybuilder’s recovery. Hormones are released the most actively. This is the most restorative phase for the brain provided the most efficient rest for mental alertness for the next day.
Stage 5 is the REM stage (rapid eye movement) when we see dreams. Braine activity is high, but muscles are still relaxed. The level of cortisol increases, and it causes muscle destruction. A full breakfast can reduce the destructive influence of cortisol on muscles.

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From the next part of the article, you will know: what occurs when we sleep and why sleep is so important for bodybuilders, what sleep provides to our wealth and how to make sleep more efficient.