Bodybuilding Sleep

GET INVOLVED

        Post your answers to one or both of these questions:-

 1. What's the best piece of advice you've received since you started bodybuilding? Wether it be from a book,a training partner or just someone in the gym.

 2. What's the biggest bodybuilding mistake you've made since you started?

JUST CLICK ON COMMENTS AT THE BOTTOM OF POSTS

 I'll be updating blog with answers i get from emails and forums to go along with your answers!

 
      Of all the different aspects needed for bodybuilding success, sleep is one of the more underrated. A night of quality sleep is an absolutely essential requirement for the normal functioning for all bodily systems, & this includes the muscles & their ability to recover.
       Achieving adequate nutrition, & training with great intensity are areas bodybuilders usually excel in but it's sleep that allows nutrition & training to do their respective jobs.It is in the coursework of the sleep cycle, which goes thgrough distinct stages from light sleep through to deep sleep) & states (non-rapid eye movement (REM), stage to, & rapid eye movement sleep) that protein synthesis occurs, growth hormone is released & our mental & physical resources are rejuvenated.
            Failure to accomplish optimal sleep means compromising all or any of these important processes.
Another major setback for bodybuilders that get a lack of quality sleep is an increase in the hormone, Cortisol. Cortisol is released into the body in times of stress and has an affect that is the total opposite of what a bodybuilder is trying to acheive, it breaks down muscle tissue. Research shows that daytime levels of cortisol are higher in people that don't get more than 6 hours sleep a night than people who get 7-8 hours.
            Sleeping for about 8 hours a day would be right for anybody who is trying to build muscle. Any more than 8 hours can sometimes leave you feeling sluggish and lacking energy which can be as bad as not getting enough sleep.
            Try to get yourself into a routine were sleep is concerned by going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time every morning. Also try to get your sleep all in one go rather than taking naps because naps can upset your sleep rhythm.
           Of all the supplements available by far the most effective in helping to get a good night's sleep are calcium and Magnesium. Calcium and Magnesium are more powerful when taken together as they combine to relax muscles as well as helping to induce sleep.
           Remember it's not just the amount of sleep you get, it's the quality that will help you in your quest to build muscle.


                                                                        Eva from Cleveland