When it comes to fitness training, enhancing performance, or losing weight, most people know that having a good diet and exercise regime is key to supporting the body through recovery. However, studies have shown that the most important factor in maintaining and improving health and fitness is sleep. While diet, exercise, and sleep are all components of the same health triangle, sleep provides the solid foundation which ensures that the other two key components can contribute to a healthy lifestyle.
After all, the body can survive for up to three weeks without food, whereas it only takes a couple of days of missing out on sleep for mental and physical functions to stop working properly.
So, why is sleep important for fitness?
For those leading active lifestyles, sleep is vital for fast, effective recovery. When the body is well-rested, the muscles have had enough time to fully repair which means that performance is enhanced the following day. The goal is to balance intense workouts with a healthy 8-hour (or more) sleep so that you can maximise recovery time and improve overall fitness.
Contrary to popular opinion, muscles are not built in the gym. During a fitness class or workout, fibres in the muscles rip and tear. These tears are repaired and strengthened during the sleep cycle, which means that sleep is vital in building muscle and fitness levels.
What about diet?
You might think that there is no correlation between sleep and diet, however, research indicates that sleep deprivation is linked to weight gain. It is understood that getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night can undo the effects of healthy eating, as it can impact the types of food you crave the next day as well as playing havoc with hormones.
Sleep deprivation also heavily impacts on metabolism, as it is during the sleep cycle that the body’s nervous system is restored. When the body is sleep deprived, it is unable to fully restore the nervous system which in turn impacts on metabolism and can cause metabolic disorders.
So start sleeping more folks!
If you would like to find out more about how REM-Fit Sleep Monitoring technology or Zeeq Smart Pillows can help you to get a better night’s rest, please get in touch with our experienced, knowledgeable staff by calling 020 8731 0020 or email us via sales@rem-fit.co.uk.
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