Getting your body in shape will not only make you look good but also keep you healthy. Meanwhile, there is a range of activities set to help you score that Fitness Goal.
For example, you should be watching what and when you eat. You should also hit the gym daily. But while all these activities are important, another crucial step to body fitness is sleep.
In other words, exercise does not provide the benefits that it is supposed to when you don’t sleep. Sleep allows your body to recover, preserve energy, mend and strengthen the muscles that were used during activity.
In what other ways can sleep help you achieve your fitness goal? Let’s find out.
How Sleep Can Help You Achieve Your Fitness Goal?
- Sleep improves your performance
Working out saps your energy and leaves you tired. After your workout or Pilates session at a Reformer Pilates Melbourne, it is necessary to regain your strength and stay strong. Getting some sleep time will help you regain strength and also improve your performance when next you are in the gym. You will be able to reach more length in your workout sessions. And before long, you will attain your fitness goal.
- Sleep safeguards your mental health and prevents burnout.
You need a healthy mind to stay on track with your fitness journey. On some days, sticking to your fitness routine will feel difficult and impossible. However, sleep and rest will save you from burnout and protect your mental health. It will keep you motivated and focused to continue working out.
Studies reveal that brain activity during sleep has profound impacts on emotional and mental health. When you are mentally fit, physical fitness will be easier to achieve.
- Sleep helps with proper nutrition
We’ve already mentioned the importance of proper nutrition and food in maintaining physical fitness. Your body needs a specific amount of nutrients each day to function properly. But you won’t get the food’s optimal benefits if you don’t get enough sleep.
Research shows that sleep deprivation increases ghrelin (hunger hormone) and lowers leptin (satiation hormone) levels in the body. Also, It’s more difficult to make good meal decisions when you are tired and drowsy.
In other words, with the hormonal impact and physical tiredness of sleep deprivation, you’ll most likely jump on junk foods for quick energy. And remember, eating junk foods contributes to weight gain and obesity because of the excess sugars and calories.
Additionally, during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the body repairs and builds muscle while also breaking down fat for energy.
- Sleep aids recovery
After an intense session of workout, your muscles need proper sleep to recoup and develop. The process of physical exercise will cause microtears in the muscle. However, adequate sleep, oxygenation and nutrition will facilitate the repair of microtears and increase muscle bulk. This cycle of microtears and repairs will help your body grow stronger and stay fit. But if you ignore sleep you will not reach your desired point of fitness.