Many people think muscles grow during exercise. That isn't true.
During exercise, you damage your muscles. Tiny tears in the muscle fibers. It sounds strange, but that's exactly the point. Your body responds to that damage by making the muscles stronger and bigger than they were before.
But that recovery process? It doesn't happen in the gym. It happens in your bed.
What happens in your muscles at night
As soon as you fall into deep sleep, your body starts the real work. Your pituitary gland, a small gland in your brain, releases growth hormone. That hormone is your body's contractor. It sends signals to your muscle tissue to repair the damage from training and build new, stronger muscle fibers.
Without deep sleep, no growth hormone. Without growth hormone, no muscle growth.
It doesn't matter how hard you train, how well you eat, or how much protein you consume. If your sleep isn't good, you won't build muscle. You'll only damage it.
What sleep deprivation does to your body after exercise
Do you sleep less than six hours after a heavy workout? Then your growth hormone production drops sharply. Your muscles don't get the time and resources to fully recover.
There's more. Sleep deprivation raises your cortisol levels. Cortisol is your stress hormone, and it does exactly the opposite of growth hormone. It breaks down muscle tissue instead of building it up.
So short sleep after exercise is a double loss. Less building and more breakdown at the same time.
You're working your body to the point of breakdown and not giving it the chance to come back stronger.
Protein without sleep is money down the drain
Many athletes pay close attention to their protein intake. Understandably, because protein is the building block of muscle, but protein can only do its job if growth hormone gives the signal to build.
That signal comes during deep sleep.
You can eat as much protein as you want. If you sleep badly, you're giving your body building blocks without a contractor. Nothing gets built.
How to maximize your recovery after exercise
Sleep at least seven to nine hours after a heavy workout. Not six hours and then just hope it's enough. Your body needs time to go through all stages of deep sleep.
Don't train too late in the evening. Intense exercise raises your cortisol levels and body temperature. Both make it harder to get into deep sleep quickly. Try to finish exercising at least two hours before bedtime.
Make sure to breathe through your nose during sleep. Breathing through your nose slows your breathing, lowers your heart rate, and gets your body into the deep sleep phase where growth hormone is produced faster. Mouth breathing keeps your body lightly active and slows that process down.
Keep your bedroom cool. Your body recovers best at a temperature between 16 and 19 degrees. The faster your body temperature drops, the faster you get into deep sleep.
The habit for this week
After every workout, schedule a night of at least seven hours of sleep. Not as a bonus, but as part of your training itself.
Sleep is not a reward for hard work. It's where hard work pays off.
1% Better Every Night.
Guy Veeke
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