That week when you workout five days a week and feel like you’ve accomplished a lot. You’ve watched your food, worked hard at the gym, and believe that, yes or no, it will help you improve. But have you had enough rest? Have you had at least 8 hours of sleep every day? Have you had a good night’s rest, or have you been tossing and turning for hours? We’ll explain why rest is just as vital as training and how a lack of sleep or rest might damage your training performance.
What Does Rest Provide After a Workout?
Whatever your aim is, you understand that it will not be accomplished tomorrow and that results will take time. Whether you want to increase muscle, improve strength, or reduce fat, it’s critical that you workout as frequently as you need to and take the proper pauses.
We stress our muscles every time we exercise, which causes them to engage and operate. They do not begin to expand or acquire tone until we relax. On the other hand, you must increase the intensity or the load each time you workout so that your body does not get used to it and continues to develop. Are you going to be able to enhance your intensity if you arrive at the gym with a low energy level?
One of the side effects of raising the intensity of the workouts and pushing our bodies to their limits is the well-known stiffness. These laces are fibrillar microtears (which is why they hurt so much). Resting allows our bodies to repair, allowing the effort limit to increase.
Avoid Injuries and Fatigue
Rest will help us avoid injuries, weariness, and better handle overloads, as well as keep our brains calm and prevent us from being irritated as readily. Although many athletes believe that resting is a waste of time, the reverse is true. On the other hand, starting training weary increases the risk of injury significantly, particularly if we wish to maintain intensity and improve in load.
Did You Know That Sleep Makes You Hungry?
Yes, it not only makes us hungry, but it also makes us eat more! When we don’t get enough sleep or don’t get enough, our brain craves high-calorie meals. This link has been shown in many studies published in recent years, and it is also linked to the rise in obesity rates in wealthy nations.
You could believe that sleeping less burns more calories and hence makes us hungrier. However, this research found that just 70 additional calories were absorbed in three awake hours, despite the subjects consuming an average of 300 more calories.
Surely you’ve had the experience of sleeping poorly one night and then eating a hypercaloric lunch “because you deserve it.” It’s not a coincidence; it has a scientific explanation: sleeping a much and well is the greatest thing you can do for your diet.
The Keys To Sleeping Well at Night
Maybe you’re one of those individuals who can’t get enough sleep at night and ends up staying up late, even if you have to get up early the following day. This might be due to a variety of factors, however following these suggestions may help:
Run away from blue light: Basically, mobile phones, PCs, and tablets. This form of light inhibits the production of melatonin (a sleep hormone) and makes us feel more agitated. As a result, it’s a good practice to turn off all of these gadgets at least two hours before bedtime.
The best thing is the routine: If your schedule permits, try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day if possible. This will aid in the regulation and correct functioning of your circadian rhythms, the internal system that marks the body’s functions.
Without digestion in bed: If you go to bed after a large and late supper, it’s common for your sleep to be delayed and you to be uncomfortable. That’s why it’s ideal to have supper a couple of hours before bedtime, or have a light meal if you’re truly pressed for time.
Natural aids: Valerian, linden, and lemon verbena infusions, as well as mixtures of these, may help you fall asleep faster. Melatonin pills may be used for periods when your schedule or time shifts are quite varied. Most supermarkets and pharmacies carry these.
