Sleep and bodybuilding. How to sleep to gain muscles. Part 2

Apr 16th 2020

Fitness

In this article we will present the information about what occurs when we sleep and why sleep is so important for bodybuilders, what sleep provides to our health and how to make sleep more efficient.

What occurs when we sleep and why sleep is so important for bodybuilders?

During the night sleep the growth hormone is produced and it causes muscles growing. And the fact is that muscles grow not in the gym, they grow when we live the usual life and the best time for growing is night sleep. When you exercise a training program in the gym, your muscles get destroyed, muscle fibers get microfractures, which is the attribute of efficient training. Subsequently, your body will restore this tissue damage, and even more, you will gain new tissues. Thanks to the human organism’s overcompensation ability, muscles grow. The highest daily percentage of growth hormone releases when the deepest sleep cycles occur. Predominantly it occurs during early cycles of sleep when deep sleep stages take up most of the time.

The other vital function of sleeping is protein synthesis. During night sleep, energy consumption is lowered, but protein is actively synthesized. Before sleeping, the protein will be synthesized from muscles without extra nutrition, and that is unacceptable for bodybuilders. That is why slow protein casein could be used for pre-sleeping nutrition.

Sleep has an anabolic effect on muscles as a result of active hormone-releasing. As well sleep is the best way to provide rest for our brain. During the day level of neurotransmitter adenosine increases, and the brain becomes tired. This neurotransmitter produces ATP – the energy-storage molecule that powers most of the biochemical reactions inside cells. After night brain rest, the adenosine level gets down, and in the morning, the brain becomes recharged. Quality of brain recovery is essential for a bodybuilder because it directly affects attentiveness, concentration, motivation, general energy level, and muscle contraction during the next training.

Adequate rest recommendations

It is often hard in everyday life to ensure enough adequate night sleep, even when we do fall asleep. The quality of sleep depends on many factors that can make it insufficient. The following ways can assist in getting that good night's sleep with maximum benefits.

it will be best to go to sleep and wake up every day at the same time. Such a habit allows you to fall asleep faster and get full sleep/wake cycles per night. All the vital functions of sleep will be provided most efficiently. Moreover, this sleep rule will cause only a positive effect on your daily schedule on the whole;
get the correct sleeping environment: avoid annoying sounds and light, turn the temperature down, and ensure optimal room temperature. It helps to start the release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin. A too-hard mattress is not the best to relax muscles after strength training;
avoid hyperactivity and other factors that raise mental alertness before going asleep. Intense training exercises during the late evening time will increase pulse and blood circulation, the hormone cortisol level, and all this together will cause the opposite effect. It will take a lot of time to reduce mental alertness and get efficient sleep. Other factors such as coffee, alcohol, pre-workout dietary supplements are unsteady not recommended to use before going to sleep;
turn of all electronic devices (TV, computer, phone, etc.) that could disturb you while sleeping. To get the most out of this, do it an hour before going to sleep. There is one more advice to stay calm during falling asleep or in case of unexpected night awakening – never look at the clock and stay in bed;
you may put to use yoga routine practices or breathing techniques before sleeping or observe rituals if they work for you;
taking a warm bath or a small cup of hot beverage without caffeine can help to relax and lead to a deeper sleep;
use pre-sleep supplement casein protein to help muscle recovery.

If you, however, have been experiencing problems with sleeping or wakefulness or want to improve the quality of sleep, you can use natural medicine, such as melatonin, L-theanine, or Kava Kava. Melatonin is a hormone found naturally in the body. Melatonin used as medicine is usually made synthetically in a laboratory. L-theanine is a green tea extract, which has a powerful relaxing effect. Kava Kava is an herbal remedy that’s made from the roots of Piper methysticum. But it would help if you surely avoided sleeping pills that may cause disturbed sleep patterns.

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It’s a fact of life how perfectly well we are after efficient sleep. We feel rested, powerful, potent, and incredibly alive. Our body and brain are ready for new achievements. People’s restlessness prohibits them from getting adequate rest for physical and mental recovery. Don’t bring to naught all your affords in the gym and pay maximum attention to sleep duration and sleep quality. Get uninterrupted sleep about 8-10 hours a night, ensure sufficient sleep quality to get maximum deep sleep, and develop healthy habits to make your rest perfect. Setting a sleeping routine for your body will help you achieve successful sleeping cycles and get more benefits from sleep.