Is Your Sleep Optimal ?

Author : Evens Examé

Do you know the importance sleep in a training plan?

Thanks to sleep, your body is able to produce new cells to replace dead ones. This is how you feed your brain, your body and your muscle tissue. Sleep is essential, otherwise:

• You decrease your results.
• You decrease your recovery.
• You decrease your cognitive functions.

If you train more than 20 hours per week, you will need 9-10 hours of quality sleep per night. An average sleep time for a teenager (13-18 years old) is 8-10 hours, for an adult (18-64 years old) is 7-9 hours and for a senior elder is 7-8 hours.

Lost sleep is unfortunately no longer recoverable. However, you can maximize the nights that follow by going to bed early or having a 20-minute afternoon nap between 1 and 3 p.m. preferably;

• Watch for signs of fatigue.
• Avoid stimulants in the evenings.
• Prioritize training early in the day.
• Promote a temperature around 18.5 Celcius in your room.

Here are the benefits of good sleep:

1. Increases strength
2. Increases testosterone level
3. Improves fat metabolism (and muscle preservation)
4. Improves emotional health
5. Reduces sensitivity to pain...

Is your sleep optimal?