When it comes to getting healthy and improving your fitness levels, there's more to success than hitting the gym and eating better. Sleep is also a hallmark of health, and skipping it could lead to weight gain and poor results in the gym. Here's a look at why you need more sleep to improve your health and how to get more z's, even if you've never been able to before.
Enhances Energy
You may be able to keep going without much sleep for a day here and there, but you need to get adequate rest to protect your energy levels. When you forgo enough sleep, your energy output spikes and you aren't storing reserves.
The results? You feel the exhaustion the next day. Energy-enhancing Whey Protein added to your diet can help, but beyond quality supplements, you should still get seven to nine hours of sleep a night for optimal health.
Strengthens Cardiovascular Health
Your heart needs consistent, quality sleep to stay healthy in the long run. Studies show that adults with irregular sleep schedules were nearly twice as likely to develop heart disease as those with more regular and consistent patterns. The idea is that interrupted sleep patterns can disturb the body's circadian rhythms and negatively impact your heart rate and blood pressure.
Helps Repair Cells
When you work out or tend to your day-to-day activities, your body keeps up its energy demands by releasing more adrenaline, cortisol, and other hormones. Although you need these hormones to help fuel your day, too much of them quickly deplete your body and could lead to health issues. For example, too much cortisol leads to stress overload and often results in stubborn belly fat.
Fortunately, you can also improve your sleep quality to maintain balance in your life. Sleep plays a crucial role in decreasing these hormones and helping with muscle repair and growth.
Increases Muscle Strength
Good sleep is connected to greater muscle strength and the ability to push harder at the gym. Whether it's the energy to keep pumping or valuable cell restoration, you need sleep to build and maintain your strength. A chronic lack of sleep also impedes your muscles' ability to function at full capacity and could lead to muscle mass loss.
Maintains Weight Loss
Skimping on your daily requirement for sleep doesn't just lead to overeating from being awake during more hours of the day. Studies show that rest could play a role in weight loss and how it relates to fat loss. When people underwent 14 days of calorie restriction, participants who only slept 5.5 hours a day lost less weight than those who slept for 8.5 hours. Beyond how well your body metabolizes fat loss when you sleep, being tired also leads to binging and reaching for sugary, processed foods to keep your mind alert.
How to Improve Your Sleep
Going to bed on time and maintaining a consistent schedule is the obvious way to improve sleep, but it isn't always a reality when you suffer from insomnia. First and foremost, it's recommended to check with your doctor to rule out any medical issues. The good news is exercising more can help enhance your sleep.
A quality supplement can also help you fall asleep faster and rest more soundly than before. Better Nights enables you to wind down, quiet your mind, and reduce the time to fall asleep. Mix up this supplement powder for a tasty drink that's balanced with magnesium, melatonin, Zinc, L-Glycine, GABA, L-Tryptophan, L-Theanine, and 5-HTP to deliver on the name Better Nights.
Next Steps
Ready to get more sleep with the help of our supplements and fitness and nutrition programs? Start shopping our supplements or comprehensive health programs to pick up organic greens, multivitamins, probiotics, and more.