Sleep, the key to both top sports performance and your general well being

If you are looking to get fitter or just be happier in life, you need to get more sleep. A good night’s sleep is the key to enhancing both aspects of your life because you need your rest. Without rest, your body is constantly working and is bound to start shutting down. For everyone that isn’t a believer in their healing powers, here’s how they can help in life and sports performance.

Sport’s Performance

1. Helps You Stay Fit

How can sleep increase your fitness? You spend eight hours lying on your back not moving! The truth is that sleep makes hormonal changes that occur when you don’t get 7 hours a night. Studies suggest that people who get less than 7 hours sleep are more likely to be obese or overweight. The thinking is that sleep deprivation causes hormonal changes that increase your appetite. As a result, you are likely to eat more and put on weight thanks to a lack of sleep. It is worth noting that these studies took exercise control and family history into consideration.

2. Builds Muscle

Sleep is when your body shuts down and can take stock of the day. That means that your body can start to repair muscle tissues and muscle damage during low waves of sleep. The body does this by using your protein reserves to repair any cells or tissues that don’t work. On top of this, it also releases a growth hormone that directly affects the muscles. When you wake up after a good night’s sleep, your body is more than capable of building muscle thanks to the changes. However, it cannot make these changes if it doesn’t have the time. As a result, your muscles will be less efficient and more prone to atrophy. It doesn’t matter how much you lift or how many times you hit the gym because you cannot fight your body.

3. Increases Reactions

As you know, you are not always at your best early in the morning. The reason is that your body is just waking up, and it takes time. But, if you get 7 to nine hours of sleep a night, you wake up much faster. In fact, you will feel much more alert and akin to your surroundings, which is brilliant for sport’s performance. If you take part in fast moving sports, your reactions are vital to your performance. In layman’s terms, the more alert you are, the better your performance on the pitch.

4. Recover More Efficiently

The final aspect of sleep’s effect on sports performance is recovery. Sleep is the only time your body gets to slow down and repair any damage. On the whole, a person that sleeps more is more likely to repair damage during the night. The next day, their body is fully functioning and back to full health. If you, on the other hand, don’t get any sleep, your body doesn’t get the chance to reset. And, when you go to exercise or play sports, your performance is more likely to suffer. Think of sleep as a factory reset button that allows you to maintain a high level of performance.

Overall Well being

1. It Makes You Happier

Do you get mood swings when you are tired? The main reason is that you are tired. The brain release hormones into the body while you are asleep, and the hormones work by increasing your mood. So, the less sleep you get, the more likely you are to be moody. And, you are not happy when you are moody. The opposite is true when you get a good night’s rest and get to recharge your batteries.

2. Relieves Stress

Stress is a killer. Although it is hard to quantify, it is a mood that can have as much of an effect on the body than a disease. In fact, stress leads to lots of diseases and medical conditions from cancer to a heart attack. Thankfully, it is easy to rectify. Again, the body gets to rest and also gets to take the edge off while you are asleep. That means that the rigors of the day are much less likely to do any potential damage. Plus, it also makes you more likely to come up with a solution to the problems that are causing you stress. As soon as the problems disappear, the stress will disappear.

3. Lowers Chances Of Fatal Disease

Fatal diseases like cancer work by mutating cells that cause life –threatening tumors. And, what leads cells to mutate? The answer is stress. By decreasing stress through sleep, you are more likely to avoid fatal diseases like cancer. It is important to note that sleep is not a foolproof plan. But, it will do more good than harm.

4. Better Immune System

Sleep not only fixes your muscle tissues and cells, but it also fixes the immune system. Sleep allows the body to repair all the cells that need repairing. That can mean anything from the immune system to the cardiovascular system. The next time a virus or bacteria enters your bloodstream, your immune system will be better equipped to remove it from your body. As you can guess, that means you are less likely to get ill.

5. More Productive

A good night’s rest leaves you feeling fresh and vibrant in the morning. In fact, you feel like you can take on the world when you are not hungover from a lack of sleep. This is a great attribute of sleep because it makes you more productive and more alert. When you feel fresh, you are more likely to do more work. Whether this is work in your job or work around the house, it still has the same effect. Plus, being productive makes you feel better about yourself, which increases your mood. Thank God for sleep!

As you can tell, sleep is essential for all aspects of life. And, it is even more important if you want to take your sports performance or wellbeing seriously.