Sleep is the greatest legal performance enhancing drug that most people are neglecting”- Matthew Walker ? Let that one sink in.
Please allow me to geek out for a minute on something I love just about as much as my husband and kids…SLEEP! ?
Today we live in the “I’ll sleep when I am dead” society of do more, stay busy, sleep less. It’s almost become cool to say you sleep four hours a night because you’re too busy. ?
I get it, there aren’t enough hours in the day, but not prioritizing your sleep will lead to a host of issues, including but not limited to a shorter life span! The ideal range is never less than 7, but optimal is 9. Put me down for 9! ??‍♀️
Sleep should be the solid foundation for any health regimen. Dialing in your nutrition and hitting the gym hard? Great! How many hours a night are you sleeping? Sleep comes first, without proper sleep you may as well be digging a hole with a spoon.
The less sleep you get the greater your risk of injury, as your body is not recovering from workouts or daily stress while in deep sleep. What good is going to the gym and destroying your muscles if you’re not sleeping and RECOVERING well. No recovery = no positive adaptions.
Lactic acid can build up quicker, and it can actually make it more difficult for your lungs to expire carbon dioxide and inhale oxygen. Sound like you at the gym after a rough nights sleep? My rule of thumb, less then 7 hours of sleep = no training.
Dieting but not getting a proper nights sleep can mean as much as 70% of the weight you’re loosing is coming from lean body mass and not body fat. I can’t tell you how many times people have said to me “I want to loose fat and gain muscle!” OK cool go to bed early.
Lack of sleep can also mess with your hunger hormones. Increasing Ghrelin, think (you’re not satisfied, appetite increaser) and surpressing leptin (Satiety hormone). It can also have us craving the wrong kinds of foods. ???
Moral of the story kids, get your ZZZ’s and make your sleep a priority no matter what your goals are. Because if youre not getting 7-9 hours of sleep no diet, exercise, or supplement is going to make you feel better in the long run. ??‍♀️