Sleep

03 Nov Sleep

Of all the things we do for humans, there’s one thing that is better for our bodies than the most perfect workout and better than the best nutrition, and that is sleep.

Sleep deprivation isn’t really a hidden problem in our society because everyone will admit to being tired, but what isn’t talked about is the seriousness the lack of sleep is doing to our minds, our bodies, and our society. The average adult needs between 7 and 9 hours of sleep. Some people can sleep less and genuinely not suffer from that, but this is largely because they are finding ways in the rest of their day to allow their brain and their body time to rest and recover as necessary. Conversely, if you’re like Appa, you sleep more than 12 hours of your day way.

Sleep problems, whether that be the deliberate and chronic choice to stay up late, mild to severe insomnia, or even sleep apnea, has been proven to contribute to the onset of and worsen problems like depression, anxiety, over eating, reduced immune efficiency, and even up to suicidal ideation. The act of sleeping allows the body to rest and repair any damage that might have happened during workouts, and helps the immune system the chance to stave off any infections or diseases. It also allows the mind a chance to recharge and to purge a lot of stress that we build up over the course of a day so we can wake up refreshed with better concentration and processing capabilities.

So, does better or more sleep really help your workout? Simply, yes! The better rested you are means the better your mind and body function in and out of the gym. Sufficient sleep over a period of time can help a person get and stay motivated, give a person strength to maximize their workout, and stick to their workout routines. To quote Dr. W. Christopher Winter, president of the Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and author of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken And How To Fix It, “We exercise for a purpose: for cardiovascular health, to increase lean muscle mass, to improve endurance, and more. All of these ‘goals’ require sleep.”

Ok, so sleep helps us workout better, but can working out help us sleep? Yes! Have you ever worked out so hard you felt like you could just crash on the gym floor? On a more scientific basis working out already helps give us serotonin and endorphins – the “happiness” hormones – but it can also create adenosine. Adenosine is an essential chemical for every cell in the body because it causes dilation of the coronary blood vessels to improve blood circulation to the heart, it decreases renal blood flow and decreases the production of rennin from the kidney, but it is also an inhibitory neurotransmitter, so that means it can a central nervous system depressant. Since it’s a nervous system depressant it can help promote sleep.

Stop into the gym or visit us at questfitnessgym.com to see how we can help you create some of much desired serotonin, endorphins, and adenosine to get the best sleep, and workout, you want!