As someone who is trying to build muscles, I often wonder, Is 7 hours sleep enough to build muscles? Why is sleeping necessary to build muscles? How long should I nap to build muscles?.
This questions got me researching to find answers and I found out that 7 hours of sleep is enough to build muscles and allow muscles recovery. The National Sleep foundation guidelines recommends that adults need a total 7-9 hours of sleep. But it also got me wondering why is sleeping important for building muscle?, How long do I need to to sleep after a workout and what happens when I don’t get enough sleep? Let’s get into details to answer these questions.
Is sleeping good for building muscles?
Sleeping and napping is very important for muscle recovery through protein synthesis and growth hormones.
According to W. Christopher Winter, M.D., the Men’s Health sleep medicine advisor, napping lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol and increases levels of the hormone that builds muscles, growth hormone. “Even a brief 15-minute snooze induces a calorie-burning and muscle-building environment in the body.”
The kind of sleep that is required for build muscles is the Non-Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep. It is sometimes referred to as slow-wave or deep sleep, is crucial for bodily restoration and muscle healing. This period of sleep, which makes up 40% of total sleep time, causes a drop in blood pressure and causes deeper, slower breathing. Because your brain is sleeping and barely moving, more blood is made available to your muscles, which helps them recover and grow by supplying them with more oxygen and nutrients. During this sleep stage, muscles and tissues are renewed. The release of Growth Hormone is another event that takes place in this phase given enough time.
What happens if I don’t have enough sleep
Growth hormone secretion dramatically decreases when people don’t get enough sleep. Lack of growth hormone is linked to decreased exercise tolerance and muscle mass loss. Your muscles can’t recover from the strain you put them under during exercise if you don’t get enough sleep. Continued muscle breakdown without adequate rest time will not help you build stronger muscles.
When do I sleep to build muscles
Everyone is aware of how crucial it is to get some sleep after a demanding day of exercise. The trick here is to get the proper quantity of sleep. Practically speaking, I advise finishing your training 4-6 hours before bedtime for the best quality of sleep.
How to sleep to build muscles
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Stretch your body out
Stretching keeps your muscles relaxed, which is important before bed because your body will repair its tissues while you sleep. You must make sure to retain the muscles as long as possible because they will shorten during this time.
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Sleep early enough
Be sure to get to bed early enough so that you may sleep for up to eight hours without having to wake up. If you awaken before your alarm goes off, all the better.
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Reduce persistent stress
Lower your overall stress and anxiety levels, particularly just before bed. Make a to-do list in the evening if you have a lot on your mind so that you won’t have to think about it at night. Spend the last hour or so before bed resting and avoiding social media or phone use for business.
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No drinking after bedtime
Don’t consume alcohol four hours or less before going to bed. Drinking one or two drinks a day seems to be beneficial for overall health, but you should avoid drinking alcohol close to bedtime because it can reduce the quality of your sleep.
If you are thirsty for a drink, oot for water or milk. Avoid consuming caffeine nine hours or more before going to bed. Limit your intake of caffeine to the morning. Having a daily cup of coffee or tea is not harmful; you only need to watch that it doesn’t interfere with your sleep. Additionally, you might want to keep your daily caffeine intake to one mg per pound of body weight.
Conclusion
In addition to helping you gain muscle, getting enough sleep will improve your concentration and effectiveness in the weight room. It’s important to remember the value of sleep, and 7 hours is more than enough to keep your body in good shape.
Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night on a regular basis if you want to gain muscle. The majority of strength and muscular growth occurs at night when you sleep.
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