It’s no surprise to anyone that getting a good night’s sleep is beneficial for your general health and wellbeing. The HSE recommends that adults get seven or more hours sleep each night to have a healthy sleeping schedule. However, in this busy world we live in, it can be difficult to squeeze in enough sleep, while trying to stay fit on top of it all. Although it’s hard, consistently getting a good night’s shut eye, isn’t just good for you in general, it’s vital to reach your peak during your workouts and we’re here to explain how.
How Sleep Effects Your Workouts
Reduces Tiredness
First and foremost, the most obvious benefit of sleep on your fitness routine is that is reduces tiredness. There’s nothing worse than hitting the gym or the pool and struggling achieve what you’re capable of because you’re drained from a lack of sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep everyday enhances your ability to perform at the top of your game during your workouts. Cutting corners with sleep will only lead to more drowsiness which in turn will impact your ability to up your tempo and hit your fitness targets.
Aids in Muscle Recovery and Repair
While sleeping means we are resting, our bodies continue to work during that time and get us ready for the next day. During the hours of sleep our bodies release growth hormones and testosterone which help your muscles recover as well as repair. This is crucial for your workouts as it allows your body to essentially recharge following a tough workout, while also meaning you are ready to smash your next one just as hard. A lack of sleep has been shown to decrease your muscle strength and endurance when training, which over time can have seriously major effects on your fitness performance.
Prevents Injuries
Linking in with the above, sleep is also a vital part of reducing the number of injuries you get while working out. While your muscles recover and repair, you are boosting your energy levels as well as cognitive function, which in turn means you’re more switched on during your workouts. This means you can focus more during your workouts and avoid putting yourself in situations where you might pick up an injury due to tiredness. Equally, your body needs time to refuel and if you overwork it, you are more inclined to suffer from injuries that come from exhaustion, while resting prevents this.
Reduces Stress
Our physical wellbeing is what most people think of when we talk about working out, however, a key component to a successful workout is our mental wellbeing and stress levels. While working out is a fantastic way to manage stress levels, so is sleep as we reduce the amount of the stress hormone, cortisol, as we sleep. So, by combining a consistent workout routine with a well-structured sleep schedule you can get the best of all worlds. Stress reduction allows your body and mind to achieve the maximum benefits of each workout.
Overall Health Benefits
Staying at the top of your fitness game requires a structured, balanced fitness routine and that isn’t possible if you are constantly ill or feeling under the weather. Sleep is crucial in helping prevent a host of things other than simply fatigue, with studies showing that high-quality sleep assists in supporting your immune function, regulates hormone levels, reduces the risk of health issues such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and so much more. By keeping on top of your sleep schedule you are enhancing your body’s ability to stay fit and keep up with the rigors of a workout routine. This ensures you can stay consistent in your routine, reach the tempos you want to in certain exercises, lift the appropriate wights, and so on to allow you accomplish your fitness goals.
The Big Takeaway
While we live in a busy world and we all want to fit in a workout anywhere we can, sleep is critical to reaching your fitness goals. Sleep allows your body to rest up, recover, and repair, so that you can be consistent in your workout routine in order to achieve you ultimate targets. While swimming that extra length or lifting that additional weight is seen as a must in your fitness routine, getting enough sleep in is just as important. Adding sleep to your fitness regimen should be something you do as only with a balanced sleep routine will your body show you what it’s truly capable of.
How Aura Leisure Can Help
While at Aura Leisure we don’t provide a sleeping service, we do offer plenty of ways to stay fit and help you tire yourself out in order to achieve a good night’s sleep. For those just beginning we have our Fit for Life personalised fitness programme, and for more advanced fitness goers there’s our Lean3 programme which will help you succeed in your fitness journey. Our pools are also a great place to unwind from a long day, and if you’re someone who hasn’t learned to swim yet, we’ve got adult lessons to help with that too. Best of all our members get access to our state-of-the-art gym, swimming pool, fitness programmes, fitness classes and much more for no additional cost, allowing you to stay active all year round.
