You work so hard in the gym, why not give your body the rest it deserves?

The average adult should get 7-9 hours of sleep each night. If you’re an athlete, you may need more. Just as athletes need more calories than most, they also need more sleep. Getting enough sleep is important for physical activity because it helps with muscle recovery, energy, injury prevention, and overall performance.

While you are resting, your body is working! After you push your muscles during physical activity, your body releases growth hormones that help muscles recover and repair. Sleep increases blood flow to muscles, delivering oxygen and nutrients that also help with recovery.

Along with muscle recovery, sufficient sleep is imperative to have the energy to exercise. Not getting enough sleep can lead to a decreased desire to be active, and can also reduce the amount of strength you feel while engaged in physical activity.

Getting your full night of sleep is a huge contributor to injury prevention. Lack of sleep can cause poor protein synthesis, muscle recovery, immune system function, and modulation of your body’s inflammatory response. All of which can increase your risk of injury.

Sleep helps with memory, reaction time, and decision-making, all of which impact overall athletic performance. That one extra hour could make all the difference in how fast you move, how well you execute technique, and how heavy you can lift.

The best way to make sure you are performing at your best is to hit the hay and catch the right amount of ZZZs!