Sleep is considered one of the most powerful recovery tools. This has been scientifically proven. Therefore, before and after exercise, quality sleep is essential. Growth hormone is stimulated during sleep and it aids muscle growth, fat burning, bone-building, muscle repair and recovery. To ensure quality sleep and quick muscle recovery, it is imperative that you invest in a good mattress, explore purple mattress vs Casper, and ensure your sleeping environment comfortable and relaxing.

With an ideal sleep environment, you can relax and enjoy up to 8 hours of sleep for your body to repair and enhance muscle recovery. A lot of damage to the muscle may occur during the day. However, when you sleep, human growth hormone and testosterone function to their best. As a result, muscle repair and recovery is achieved. This piece helps you to understand more about the importance of sleep for muscle recovery.

The two stages of sleep impact muscle recovery are:

1. Rapid Eye Movement sleep which occurs in a 90-120 minutes cycle at night. In adults, this accounts for 25 per cent of sleep and REM dominates the entire sleep period. This is particularly in a few hours before you wake up. REM, therefore, enhances muscle recovery by supplying the brain with the energy it needs in your waking hours. It also restores the mind to its normal functional state.

2. Non-REM sleep is also known as deep sleep or the slow-wave period. This is a very crucial sleep stage that restores the body and aids muscle recovery. Up to 40 per cent of sleep time is Non REM Sleep period. During this time, your breathing is slower, deeper and your blood pressure drops. The brain rests efficiently with little activity. As a result, there is enough blood supply to your body muscles.

During Non-REM Sleep, more oxygen and essential nutrients are supplied to your body muscles. It facilitates growth, healing, repair and recovery of body muscles. More muscles and body tissues are therefore rejuvenated during this period of quality sleep. This makes Non-REM Sleep a very important phase that enhances muscle recovery.

Similarly, as the body enters the Non-REM stage, pituitary gland also releases a growth hormone that stimulates tissue growth, muscle repair and recovery. This means that without enough sleep, there is a significant drop or decline of the growth hormone production. Deficiency in growth hormone leads to loss of muscle and impairs recovery.

Consequently, you must sleep for 7 to 9 hours a night. It promotes sufficient production of growth hormone that facilitates muscle growth, repair and recovery. As an athlete, this is particularly important if you want to wake up for a productive training session. Through sleep, protein synthesis and muscle growth are achieved. More growth hormone is also released to give you the energy you need throughout the day.

Furthermore, during sleep, the body stores blood glucose as muscle glycogen in the muscles. As glucose exits different parts of the body including the liver, muscle glycogen is the most preferred storage location. It helps the body to produce more energy that aids muscle recovery, repair and growth. This means without quality sleep, the body cannot supply blood glucose to the muscles.

Sleeping is therefore crucial as it promotes energy production for normal functioning of the body. Similarly, it puts you in a good emotional state that can boost your performance. With such satisfaction during the day, you will enjoy a restful sleep that further promotes muscle recovery.

Besides, proper sleep is important during any training session. It boosts your endurance and keeps you relaxed and in a better mind-set. All these work together in the end for faster, better and quick muscle growth and recovery. As a result, you need to get enough hours of quality sleep to achieve your muscle recovery goals.