How Does Sleeping Affect the Growth Of Your Muscles?
How Does Sleeping Affect the Growth Of Your Muscles?
Sleeping has a big impact on the growth of your muscles! Your sleep influences two major hormones that can have major impacts on your body, particularly on muscle development.
Human Growth Hormone (HGH)
While you are asleep,your body releases human growth hormone (HGH), which you have probably heard a lot about lately. That hormone can help boost the growth of your muscles. Sleep is also the time during which your body is able to focus on repairing itself, and that includes repairing your muscles after a tough workout. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, or your sleep quality is suffering, you might notice that you aren’t gaining muscle like you used to.
Cortisol,The “Stress Hormone”
Another hormone that you should be concerned about is cortisol, the famous “stress hormone.” This can actually get in the way of your muscle growth, but when you sleep, you can help maintain hormone balance. On the other hand,when you do not get enough sleep,your levels of cortisol could end up going up. You don’t want that to happen!
So, the bottom line is this: if you want to build and maintain muscle, you have to take a look at your whole lifestyle, including what you’re doing at night. Are you getting to bed at a decent hour so that you can sleep through the night and wake up refreshed? Are you eating right so you can give your body the fuel it needs to power through strength training routines, as well as repair itself afterwards? Are you drinking enough water to keep your body hydrated? And, are you giving yourself at least one day a week of rest so that your muscles can recover and grow?
The point is that, yes, sleep has a profound effect on the growth of the muscles throughout your body, so if you aren’t able to sleep well,and you can’t figure out why,it’s best to consult with your doctor.