Building muscle takes a lot of concentrated effort and exercise. And since you have to put so much effort into gaining muscle you want to make sure you feed your body right and get enough sleep to really have your workouts pay off. However, there are some negative side effects where gaining muscle is concerned if you dont get enough rest. The simple fact is that when you sleep your muscles grow from the efforts you put into your workouts. So, getting plenty of rest is very important if you really want to gain muscle. Otherwise, your efforts will not be rewarded.
Recovery Time
After you spend an hour or so working your muscles out at the gym and fantasizing about the muscles you are building you should also be aware that your body needs substantial recovery time from the workout. This recovery time is approximately 8 hours of sleep each night and that is each and every night not 10 hours tonight and 6 tomorrow because that does not work. Your body needs adequate sleep every night because rest cannot be stored and saved for later, it is something you must engage in every night.
Additionally, all sleep is not made equal. There are five stages of sleep and if you are like most people leading stress filled lives you never make it past stage 1 or 2. Because of this you wake up feeling as tired and drained of energy as when you went to bed. If this is the type of sleep you are getting then it will not be overly productive in helping you gain and build muscle while you are asleep. On the other hand, if you can practice deep breathing, meditation, or other stress relieving activities before you go to sleep then you will more than likely be able to reach stages 4 and 5 where your body can heal, repair, and grow. These are the stages of sleep you need to reach if you are really interested in muscle gain. However, since your body reacts to a lot of different elements in your life you cant just focus on muscle gain, but must also focus on stress relief, eating right, and exercising on a regular basis.
Deep sleep is important because during this phase the body is able to repair the muscles that were torn or broken during the workout. Also, while you are in deep sleep your body also begins the process of Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand. During this process, known as SAID, your body builds your muscles bigger and stronger so that when you workout again your muscles will be ready. This is the process of gaining true muscles and if you want to build muscles you will be sure that you not only workout properly, but that you also get plenty of deep rest to help your body do its job and reward you for working out by building your muscles bigger and stronger.
An additional benefit of this, which not many people know, is how your body gets the energy to perform these muscle building activities while you rest. The answer is from fat. That is right, while you are in deep sleep and your body is working hard to repair and build your muscles it uses your fat stores to do so. So, not only are you building muscle but you are also burning fat simply by getting a proper amount of sleep, which most people wont complain about anyway.
Getting the Sleep You Need
So now you are convinced that you really need to focus on getting a good nights rest in order to build muscle, lose weight, and really be rested the next day. However, you life is full of family obligations, work, exercise, errands, cooking, cleaning, carpooling, and the list goes on and on so you really dont have enough hours in the day to do all you need and this creeps in on your sleep time. How, then, are you going to get everything done that you need to get done and still get 8 hours of sleep each night? The answer is to prioritize. Your family, work, and sleep should be your priorities. Also, you make a schedule to make your life more fluid so you can get all you need to get done and still have time for rest. For example, pay your bills online and this alone will save you many hours over the course of a month. Another tip is when you must do a load of laundry or go to bed, choose to go to bed and do the laundry tomorrow. It really can wait. Prioritizing and realizing that sleep is more important than the many things in your life you put ahead of it will allow you to get more rest, build more muscle, have more energy, and simply enjoy life.
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