Want More Muscle? Get More Sleep.
Dozens of research studies prove that a lack of sleep will reduce your body’s ability to create muscle or utilize protein—the raw material muscles are made from. Unfortunately, the results of a recent joint study conducted by the American Sleep Association show that 88% of women don’t sleep through the night on a regular basis. Nearly a third of them report never getting an uninterrupted night of sleep. Never.
Since so many women believe that muscle growth happens in the gym, part of the problem is that they don’t prioritize rest and recovery as a part of their training plan. But what you do outside the gym—which includes how much and how well you sleep—can be even more important. In fact, getting enough sleep is an absolute essential for building muscle. Here’s why:
1. Sleeping less means less slow wave or dreamless sleep. Slow wave sleep accounts for only 15-25% of the total time you spend sleeping. But it’s the deepest—and arguably most important—stage of the sleep cycle because it’s when the body has a window of opportunity to repair and rebuild itself. It’s also when growth hormone and testosterone—the two most important strength and recovery hormones—are secreted. While an adequate testosterone level is essential for male health and performance, women require it (in smaller amounts) to build and maintain both bone and muscle. Studies show that 70% of the body’s growth hormone is secreted during slow wave sleep—and that the total amount of GH released in your body is directly correlated with how much of it you get.
2. Sleeping less can increase your level of cortisol, the stress hormone. While it can sometimes serve a beneficial and adaptive purpose in the body, cortisol is considered a catabolic (destructive) hormone because it breaks down tissues—including muscle—in its efforts to counteract the harmful effects of physical and mental stress. Since sleep deprivation causes both, it increases cortisol which makes building and maintaining muscle much more difficult.
3. Sleeping less can lower your basal metabolic rate or BMR—the number of calories your body burns to support its basic, physiological functions each day. The number of calories you burn is the sum of several factors including your body composition, your activity level, and the type and amount of macronutrients you consume.
For the most part, a woman’s BMR remains fairly stable and is strongly linked to her lean body mass. Since muscle burns more calories than fat, adding muscle will increase your BMR—and the number of calories you burn. Conversely, muscle loss will decrease your BMR. Changing your BMR typically takes a considerable amount of time, unless you’re not getting enough sleep. Researchers have confirmed that a single night of sleep deprivation will reduce the body’s BMR by 20% on the following day.
In addition to interfering with muscular growth and development, sleep deprivation can have major (negative) effects on overall athletic performance—especially for endurance athletes. The best way to prevent sleep deprivation is to make sure you get enough sleep. While the exact number of necessary hours can vary from one woman to another, eight hours is the generally agreed upon minimum.
Need some suggestions for getting your bedtime routine back on track? Check out the short list of action items to implement below:
Go to bed each night and get up each morning at the same time
Switch to decaffeinated beverages past noon
Dedicate the hour before bed to relaxing activities—reading, meditating, listening to calming music, or taking a bath
Avoid protein-heavy meals within a few hours before bedtime
Limit your exposure to blue light by refraining from the use of electronic devices before bed
Avoid exercising in the evening hours close to bedtime
Minimize your alcohol intake
Do you have a bedtime routine that works well for you and your busy lifestyle? Please share it in the comments section below!