We are constantly on the lookout for effective new ways to gain muscle. Trying out the latest supplements, training routine, diets, name it! Yes, all of these are keys to our dream bodies but most important that we all take for granted is SLEEP. Remember that none of the above mentioned can compensate rest other than sleep.
"Even if your training and nutrition program comes straight from the mouth of God Almighty, without adequate rest your body will fail to adapt." - Professor Michael Colgan.
Think spending more time in the gym will help you achieve that dream body even sooner? Think again. Hitting the sack matters more than most people give it credit for: sleep is when the adaptations from training actually happen. In fact, according to Nick Ebner, N.A.S.M.-C.P.T., P.I.C.P., "It just might be the most important element of your training."
Key points
- Aim for 7-9 hours. Most studies show this range as ideal per night.
- Sleep builds muscle. You use food more efficiently and GH is naturally released as you sleep.
- Wind down first. A relaxing routine 60-90 minutes before bed helps you fall asleep faster.
- Fix night waking. Often linked to blood sugar, eating or drinking, or training too close to bed.
- Time your training. Finishing about 4-6 hours before bed supports optimal sleep.
Is there an ideal amount of sleep per night?
"Yes. Most studies show somewhere between 7-9 hours per night as ideal."
What happens during sleep that helps build muscle?
"As we sleep, energy consumption is lowered, allowing us to use the high-quality food we eat during the day to more efficiently build muscle. GH is naturally released during sleep, which may support general recovery. Also, as we sleep the brain recharges. This is important for building muscle because a rested brain is a motivated and focused brain. In simple terms, when you sleep, you recover, and when you recover you replace, repair, and rebuild-all of which are needed for optimal progress."
I've been having trouble sleeping. What can I do to make sure I fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer?
"A great tip to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer is to set up a sleep routine that occurs between 60-90 minutes before you go to bed. A sleep routine should consist of activities that relax and bring down the body. Try dimming the lights, shutting off electronics (including TV), closing your books, stretching, meditating, taking a hot shower or Epsom salt bath, writing in a journal, or any other things that are nonelectronic and not physically taxing. You don't have to have the same routine every night, but try to make it occur in the same hours. Going to bed at a consistent time each night has shown to increase sleep quality as well."
Why do I wake up in the middle of the night all the time? What makes this happen?
"Many things can cause this: nonregulated blood sugar, drinking too much liquid too close to bed, eating too close to bed, training too close to bed, not eating enough during the day, detoxification issues, hormonal imbalances, etc. Because the reasons we may wake up during the night vary, try making food your first variable toward getting your sleep in check. I suggest eating frequently throughout the day, eating enough calories each day, eating quality whole foods, and eating the right balance of protein to carbs to fat, which for each person is different."
Important: If this seems difficult to you, find a qualified health or nutrition coach to help you implement these strategies.
How late can I work out without it interfering with my sleep?
"Generally speaking, for optimal sleep I suggest completing your training about 4-6 hours prior to going to bed. I give a two-hour difference in range because the type of training-let's say Olympic weightlifting compared to bodybuilding-style training-will affect the nervous system differently. However, if finishing your training three hours before bed is your only option, then weigh your risk vs. reward and do what you must to see the results you strive for. In my opinion, training closer to bed is often better than not training at all."
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Sleep Aid provides a range of amazing benefits for not only gym goers and athletes, but also for those strenuously engaging their cognitive functions through either school or work. This is just a few of the positive outcomes you can expect:
- May support a general sense of calm
- The overall sense of wellbeing
- Rested and ready to perform at 100%
- May help support general energy and vitality
- May help support general mental wellbeing
- May help support general focus and daily performance
What actually happens to muscle while you sleep
This article covers the physiology. For what poor sleep costs you in the gym, see why sleep matters for training results. For practical fixes, see five ways to improve your sleep.
Three things worth knowing:
- Growth hormone is released in pulses during deep sleep, with the largest occurring in the first few hours of the night. Cutting sleep short truncates the part of the night where most of it happens.
- Muscle protein synthesis continues overnight, drawing on the amino acids from what you ate during the day. This is the actual repair work, and it is why total daily protein matters more than any particular timing.
- Sleep restriction shifts what you lose. In studies where people diet on restricted sleep, a greater proportion of the weight lost is muscle rather than fat. Same deficit, worse composition.
That last point is the one most people have not heard, and it is the strongest practical argument for protecting sleep during a cut.
Is a nap useful for muscle growth?
Useful for recovery, and not a replacement for a night.
A nap helps if you are short on overnight sleep: it reduces fatigue and can improve afternoon training quality. What it does not reliably do is reproduce the deep sleep stages where the hormonal activity concentrates, which is why a two-hour nap is not equivalent to two more hours at night.
Practical guidance:
- 20 to 30 minutes avoids waking mid-cycle and feeling worse than before.
- 90 minutes completes a full cycle if you have the time.
- Avoid 45 to 60 minutes, which tends to wake you out of deep sleep.
- Before 3pm, or it costs you that night.
What kills training progress fastest?
In rough order of how much damage they do:
- Not training consistently. Nothing else comes close.
- Not eating enough, particularly protein and total calories.
- Chronic under-sleeping. Degrades everything above.
- No progressive overload. Doing the same weights for months.
- Excessive alcohol. Hits sleep, training and food choices together.
Supplements do not appear on this list, which is the point. They operate at the margins of a picture the first three items decide.
What about the sleep habits of famous lifters?
You will find claims that particular bodybuilders trained on four or five hours a night. Some are true, most are unverifiable, and none is advice.
Individual sleep requirements vary genuinely, and a small minority of people function on less. But survivorship bias is doing a lot of work in these stories, and the research on sleep restriction and body composition is consistent enough that "someone famous managed on less" is a poor reason to try.
Seven to nine hours remains the general adult guidance.
