Sleep Is A Key Ingredient Of A Successful Fitness Plan

Ahhh, rest. Makes you sigh just thinking about getting some right now, doesn’t it? As Americans we are chronically sleep deprived. We don’t sleep enough and our everyday performance suffers as a result. Why is it so important and why do we need to have the proper amounts in order for our bodies to function properly?
The National Sleep Foundation recently reported that, “Americans are living to work, not working to live; Foundation urges Americans to make time for sleep.” And from the results of their recent poll, it seems that most people don’t realize the consequences of being chronically sleep deprived. If you knew that sleeping more would make you healthier, allow you to perform in a safer way to avoid injuries, improve your memory, and allow greater body transformation success from your fitness plan, wouldn’t you sleep more?

In fact, a study – “Effects of Prolonged Wakefulness on Subjective Measures of Activation” – showed that energy and

Sleep deprivation can greatly hinder any visible progress from your fitness plan.

concentration decreased significantly, and tiredness rose in those that were chronically sleep deprived. If you have less energy and are more tired, this will certainly not help your body reshaping efforts. Plus it is only when you rest and sleep that your body recuperates from the efforts you have made in the gym and from your fitness plan. (Casagrande M, and Violani C, Bertini. “Effects of Prolonged Wakefulness on Subjective Measures of Activation” Department of Psychology – University of Rome)

You don’t gain muscle while in the gym but outside of it – the proper foods you eat and the rest and recuperation you allow cause the positive change to happen. Sleeping enough is also crucial for a biological reason. You may have heard of human growth hormone (HGH) mentioned as one of the wonder hormones your body produces, and how as young adults we have prodigious amounts of this substance. Indeed, HGH has been shown to be a veritable “fountain of youth.” Many of the physical changes associated with aging are linked to declining HGH levels. It is generally considered normal that as you age you get weaker, fatter, unhealthier, and you lose your energy and vitality. It is no coincidence that as we experience these changes, our levels of HGH decline as well. Recent studies show that HGH can counteract some typical age-related problems:

• Thin skin and skin wrinkles. HGH promotes and increases the synthesis of new collagen and protein tissue.
• Muscle wasting. HGH again promotes and increases the synthesis of new protein tissue.
• Abdominal fat. HGH is directly involved in the metabolism of fat. Injecting HGH directly into the abdominal   skin (which is the normal method of administering prescription HGH) results in localized and overall fat   loss.
• Poor Sleep. Results in less HGH being released.
• Decreased energy. The hormonal system is a potent metabolic regulator.
• Lessened Sexual performance. 40% of the participants of a recent HGH study reported increased libido.
• Weak bones. HGH’s positive effect on bone density is measurable.

HGH is released from your body in a pulsatile fashion. This means it is released in spurts at specific times during the day or night based upon circadian and external influences. The greatest amounts of HGH are released when you sleep. So, if you don’t sleep enough, or sleep fitfully, then you are not allowing your body to get the full benefits of HGH because the potential for it to be released is significantly diminished. Combine this with the fact that, even under normal sleeping conditions, your HGH output decreases as you age; it is no wonder that we all seem to have such a hard time losing fat as the years roll by. Two thirds of male HGH production occurs during deep sleep; while only one third of women’s HGH production occurs during this time, it is still a significant amount that should be maximized every chance you can get.

How important and effective is HGH? While there are very few cast-in-stone conclusions in any field of science, recent data and studies have shown that HGH seems to be a very powerful ally in your battle against fat and declining health as we age. A past “USA Today” article talked about the research on HGH and the growing fascination with this highly touted hormone. They reported that studies have shown that, as we age, we secrete less HGH. They found that aging is also highly correlated with declines in our deep sleep patterns. The studies found that the less deep sleep we got, the less growth hormone our bodies secreted.

University of Chicago researchers found that the first stage of age-related deterioration of sleep quality occurs between the ages of 25 and 45. These people sleep as long as younger people, but spend less time in restorative deep sleep (Journal of the American Medical Association). The same scientists found that the proportion of deep sleep drops from nearly 20% of a normal night’s sleep for those studied under 25 to less than 5% for those over 35. By age 45, few people spend any time at all in deep sleep.

Other studies of the elderly have linked HGH deficiency to increased obesity, loss of muscle mass, and reduced exercise capacity. One of the study’s directors, Eve Van Cauter, says, “We have no data to suggest that maintaining higher levels of growth hormone will increase longevity, but it could increase the healthy status for a longer period of time.” Thomas Roth, sleep medicine chief at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, calls Van Cauter’s report “very important” because it shows that the decline in deep sleep begins at a relatively young age and is strongly correlated with a drop in growth hormone levels.

Since deep sleep is so important to allowing maximal levels of HGH to be released naturally, what can we do about it? First, by exercising regularly and with concerted effort, we are naturally more tired and thus tend to fall asleep faster and more easily; we also tend tol sleep more deeply. This phenomenon, whereby deeper sleep increases your HGH output, is what I consider a freebie. No effort at all is required on your part to get better results from your fat loss efforts. The only thing you have to do is simply get a better night’s sleep. Knowing the importance of good rest, as you do now, please make sure you do everything in your power to get regular, deep, and restful sleep.

Take Charge!

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