How sleep affects your fitness

4 mins to read

Your lifestyle is made up of different small components and it is important you understand the connection between them. Learn how your sleep affects your fitness.

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The link between sleep and fitness

It is important to understand that there is a need to take care of both sleep and fitness as they both work in synergy with each other as components of a healthy lifestyle, the University of Sydney reports. It is well recognised through studies that have shown exercise can help us to achieve better sleep. Exercise can help us achieve deep sleep, the stage during which important restorative functions occur to help us feel refreshed and alert for the day. However, we also need the energy to be able to exercise in the first place. Apart from nutrition, sleep is an important factor.

No energy, no exercise

The most important step to getting exercise in is having the energy to do so. The Sleep Foundation reports that sleep is needed for several reasons, including energy conservation, restoration of our tissues and immune health. With a lack of energy, it is difficult to become physically active. Glycogen is a form of energy used during exercise. According to The Sleep Foundation, sleep deprivation is linked to decreased glycogen levels and glycogen levels are restored during sleep. So if you have less glycogen in the tank, you may feel fatigued and that you don’t have the energy or muscle strength to go as far as you would like during your workout.

Fitness performance and recovery

During sleep, cognitive processing occurs. Less sleep can affect the cognitive functioning of those who take part in sports, such as tennis, where judgement, accuracy, reaction time and quick decision-making are required. Sleep also has the important role of assisting the body to recover between workouts. This includes the repair of muscle tissues and cells, allowing the heart rate to rest. The first phase of deep slow-wave sleep is when the growth hormones are secreted, which helps the body go through processes of restoration and repair. The Sleep Foundation reports that during sleep, the hormone cytokines are released and produced that help the immune system fight off infections. With sleep’s effect on immune health, if we neglect sleep and become ill, this will also affect our ability to exercise. There is research that suggests sleep deprivation can impact the safety of exercise, with some evidence showing the relationship between suboptimal sleep with increased risk of sports injury.

Weight management

Without enough sleep, people tend to overeat and choose unhealthy foods. Studies have shown that lack of sleep can lead to an increase in the release of the hormone ghrelin, or the “hunger hormone”, but at the same time, a decrease in the hormone leptin, or the “satiety hormone”. Both result in an increased feeding drive. Another common cause of both weight gain and poor sleep is stress, the Yale New Haven Health System reports. Stress can lead to an increase in cortisol levels, which can increase appetite. In addition, stress can cause people to turn to food for comfort eating, and often to more calories than their recommended daily intake. Eating well to maintain a healthy weight is important for overall fitness as carrying more weight may make it harder to exercise and affect motivation to exercise. It would be important to prevent a vicious cycle of increased weight, less exercise and poor sleep. The Sleep Foundation reports recommendations for athletes range between seven and nine hours nightly, though elite athletes may require closer to nine hours.

Ways to improve sleep to maximise your fitness potential

Monitor Your Caffeine Intake:

Have caffeine in the early part of the day early, which can also assist with exercise performance. Avoid caffeine in the later part of the day as it promotes alertness.

Nightly Wind-Down Routine:

Implement a nightly wind-down routine to help you transition to sleep. This can include journalling any worrying thoughts and positive achievements from the day, and other relaxing activities such as reading a book, meditation, yoga or listening to a soundbath. A warm magnesium bath may also help with mind relaxation and support muscle relaxation.

No Exercise Around Bedtime:

Avoid vigorous workouts close to bedtime which can be stimulating and hamper efforts to sleep. Ensure you schedule your workout to leave at least 90 minutes before bedtime.

Plan Your Naps:

One study suggests napping after a night of inadequate sleep can benefit athletes. Another study suggests that athletes who anticipate a night of inadequate sleep can also benefit from extending their sleeping to the nights beforehand. The Sleep Health Foundation recommends a ‘power nap’ of 15-30 minutes, which can help you feel more alert. Any longer is not effective as you may wake up feeling groggy, also called sleep inertia. It can also make it more difficult to sleep well at night, as can napping too late in the day.

Balanced Diet:

It is important to eat a healthy, balanced diet so that you are getting enough nutrients to not only fuel for exercise, but also so you are not left feeling hungry by the end of the day. Try to allow at least 1 hour after your last meal of the day before going to bed. Listen to your body, and if it is hungry, you may find that having a small healthy snack like a piece of wholegrain bread or a handful of nuts may help satisfy you enough.

Listen to Your Body:

You may wake up feeling tired and unsure whether you should exercise or sleep more. Where possible, if you didn’t get enough sleep, get that extra sleep in if you can, and exercise later in the day. You’re likely to perform better and reduce risk of any injury. The alternative if you are feeling drowsy, is to do a lighter workout such as walking.