Sleep and Exercise Are Heavily Linked To Each Other For A Active Lifestyle
If you want to stay active and include healthy exercise as part of your everyday regimen—then there are a few things that you need. Of course, you need the time, the right equipment and plenty of water to help you get through the workout. But more importantly, you need energy. And energy comes from getting enough sleep. Your sleep and your exercise are heavily linked. You need to make sure that you are getting enough sleep at night to have the energy you need to exercise. You may also find that your exercise regimen impacts your ability to get sleep. When it comes to scheduling in your sleep regimen and your exercise regimen, you need to make sure that you are creating a proper balance between them both.
Understanding how your sleep impacts exercise and vis-a-versa will help you make sure that you are taking a healthy, balanced approach to your life—and this guide will help you understand how.
Does Poor Sleep Contribute To Physical Inactivity?
Sleep and exercise are connected in a number of ways. And if you are struggling with poor sleep quality, for whatever reason, it may contribute to your physical inactivity. The simple explanation is if you aren’t getting enough sleep at night, you will not have the energy you need to be as physically active as you should be. But it can go deeper than that.
When you don’t get enough sleep at night, you are less likely to have the mental focus you need to get to the gym and focus on a workout. Anyone who has tried to motivate themselves to do something they don’t want to do when they are tired will tell you just how difficult it can be to stay engaged and motivated when you are lacking on sleep.
This is why most people who do not sleep well during the night will not only be more stagnant and lethargic during the day, but who will be much less likely to get themselves up and motivated to do any type of physical activity. This is unfortunate, because most Americans aren’t getting their necessary 7-9 hours of sleep every night—and it could be having a serious impact on their physical health.
Will Better Sleep Help My Workout?
If you are tired from inadequate sleep, then it can make you tired, lethargic and unable to exercise. However, if you are getting better sleep at night, it can actually help you enjoy a better, more effective workout. One of the primary goals of sleep is to conserve energy and make sure that you have the stamina you need to get through the next day ahead. If you get enough sleep then you will have enough energy to give it your all during your workout. But there is more.
When you sleep, your body is also working on repairing itself. This is when the body gets to work repairing all of the muscles and tissues that you have strained, worked out and torn during your exercise. This is how you build stronger, leaner muscles. Sleeping enough will help you get results from your exercise and make sure your body is getting stronger. Experts recommend that the more time you spend in the gm and working out, the more time you should spend getting sleep. The two really do go hand in hand. There are other things that you can do in order to make sure you are getting the type of sleep that you need in order to make it through healthy, effective workouts.
Have a High-Protein Bedtime Snack
There are a lot of people who subscribe to the idea of not eating in the evening, as they worry it will lead to weight gain. This is not the case when it comes to snacks, particularly healthy snacks. Studies have found that enjoying a high-protein bedtime snack before bed can help you with building muscle strength, which is a great result as part of a healthy exercise plan.
According to one study in the Journal of Nutrition, individuals who had a protein shake before bed saw these great muscle-building results when compared to those who didn’t have a protein shake before bed. Your muscles grow overnight, especially when you are working out regularly. However, they need amino acids and proteins in order to do this. If you are only getting these important nutrients during your meal, you may not have enough amino acids stored up for your body to rebuild muscles in this way.
This is your prime recovery time, and in order to make sure that you take advantage of this recovery time, you need some extra protein. Shakes are a great option, or you can try raw nuts, a turkey wrap or some low-fat yogurt to get that source of protein you are looking for. It doesn’t have to be a large meal, just something convenient and protein-packed that will give you the nutrients that you need.
Increase Intensity of Workouts
If you find that you are not tired enough at night to drift off to sleep—then you may want to consider increasing the intensity of your workouts. Doing more intense workouts can actually help you with your sleep. Researchers have found that exercising for just 30 minutes per day at a moderate intensity can actually improve your sleep when compared to not working out at all.
However, everyone is different. So, if you are getting about 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day, but still aren’t getting enough sleep at night, then consider stepping it up a bit. Many sleep experts say the “more the better” when it comes to exercising for sleep. Exercising longer and at a higher intensity for a few days a week can not only help you get better physical benefits, but will help get you tired enough at night to drift off to sleep and stay asleep like you want to. Of course, this can help set a healthy cycle because you will then of course have enough energy from your great night of sleep to get out there and exercise at a higher intensity again.
Go To Bed A Little Earlier
Want to get more out of your workout? Then try to get to bed a little earlier. Now this can be easier said than done, particularly because so many people have such busy schedules. However, it really is worth it when it comes to your workouts. Sleeping even 30 minutes more at night can help you get more motivation for your workouts and help you get more out of your time at the gym. In fact, according to one study, researchers found that people who slept more at night spent longer at the gym the next day.
A lack of sleep can really impact your perception on how hard your workout is, and it can have a serious impact on your motivation. So, if you need a little something extra to make you want to go to the gym, stay at the gym or really push yourself at the gym—then try turning in early the night before. You may be surprised by the impact it can have.
Schedule Cardio in the AM and Weights in the PM
Did you know that the time that you work out, more specifically, the time that you do certain workouts can actually impact your sleep? If you can, try to schedule any cardio activities for the morning and your strength training and weight lifting for the evening. There is scientific research behind this approach, and it can really help with your sleep pattern. In fact, it was recently discovered that people who do cardio-intensive workouts first thing in the morning, actually spend more time in the deep sleep cycle (this is the sleep cycle that is most beneficial to your health and recovery). In fact, they enjoyed more deep sleep than those who did aerobic workouts in the afternoon or evening.
If you are planning on doing some strength training workouts, then it is better to do these exercises at night, instead of first thing in the morning. Lifting at night can help improve sleep quality, more than if you did the same workout at night. However, be aware that you shouldn’t do this or any type of exercise too close to bed time or too late at night. When you workout like this, it increases your body temperature, and you can stay warm for quite some time at night, which will keep you awake and make it more difficult to drift off when you actually get into bed.
Great Sleep and Exercise Can Help With A More Balanced Lifestyle
Sleep and exercise really do go hand in hand. You need good sleep in order to get the most out of your workout and the right workout may actually help you get better sleep at night. However, no matter which one you focus on first, there is no denying that both great sleep and great exercise can help you live a more balanced and healthier life. Consider these tips and insights into the best ways to improve both your sleep and your exercise plan so you can truly live your healthiest life possible.
Jessica Lauren is Founder, contributing Author and Owner of Citrus Sleep. Citrus Sleep is an online publication that highlights brands, sleep products, women’s fashion, subscription services and ideas creating positive social change and promoting a healthy lifestyle. After spending nearly a decade working in PR and marketing for several brands and startups, Jessica knows what truly drives conversions, sold-out launches and guest posts.
Follow Jessica at @jessicalaurencs | Jessica Lauren
