Why sleep is so important, especially to active people?
It is particularly important to active people because it is involved in the healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels. Moreover, adequate sleep helps your body recover from the stress of, say, a 30-minute jog, or a strength and conditioning routine. A balanced life is not just about physical health; it’s also about strengthening one’s mental and emotional state. It is often overlooked as a key aspect in healthy living, but it is actually extremely important. Rest is all the more important for highly active individuals and sleep and exercise have a two-way relationship.
The more you stick to a regular exercise, the less likely you’ll experience sleep deprivation. At the same time, the amount of sleep you get also impacts workout results in many ways. For one, being well rested increases energy levels, which helps one to follow through with their routine. Lack of sleep, on the other hand, causes your muscles to fatigue more easily. It’s common for people who are sleep deprived to abandon their workout because they get tired faster.
Sleep is also critical for the recovery process. Muscles take their time to repair through a process called protein synthesis. A deep slumber known as non-REM (rapid eye movement) sleep stimulates tissue growth and repair. This helps the body to increase in mass and adapt to harder workouts. If you’re getting enough rest and recovery, you might notice how your favorite exercises are getting easier, which should be taken as a sign to increase the intensity.
Sleep is something that we all need to make time for. It’s still just one part of the whole equation to fitness, however. Exercise and nutrition are equally important to optimal health and fitness but that’s for another day.