How Important is Sleep for Building Muscle?

Why is my gym buddy getting better results?

You got to the gym frequently and you do the most awesome workouts. You meal prep all your bland broccoli and chicken breast. You take all the overpriced supplements you found on an Instagram post. Yet you seem to be doing everything right, your buddy who started in the same shape as you and has been working out the same as you – is getting better results!

He or she does the same workouts, hardly meal preps, and even enjoys the occasional pizza, beer, and ice cream. The only protein supplement he is taking is the discount version he found in the bargain bin.

How is this possible?

What you do not realize is that while you are binge-watching your latest TV show, or staying up to play video games, or search the internet, your buddy is HARD AT WORK – SLEEPING.

When it comes to increasing your gains, sleeping is most important.

Studies find that people who sleep during the daytime are not able to bring down cortisol levels as much as people who sleep at night. Studies also find that people who are sleep deprived have a hard time metabolizing glucose. Since glucose is important for energy, not being able to break glucose down means your energy levels will be breaking down instead.

Studies find that people suffering from sleep apnea have overall lower levels of testosterone.

When we sleep, your body releases high amounts of anabolic hormones, such as testosterone and IBF1. Both have close relationships with helping the body to build muscle. When sleep is disrupted, however, especially when disrupted in the first cycle of REM sleep, the release of these ever-important hormones takes much longer. This can disrupt the body’s ability to repair and build muscle during sleep.

Learn more by watching this informative sleep for building muscle video.

Don’t miss your sleep! If you are watching this video and it is 1:00 AM, do not LIKE, SHARE or even COMMENT. Go to bed and get a good night’s rest.