How Does Sleep Affect Exercise Recovery?

We’ve covered the benefits of exercise for improving the quality of your sleep and how to balance sleep and exercise (click here).

In this post we’ll cover the importance of sleep for athletes at all levels, including recent scientific studies that look at the benefits of sleep for recovery after exercise.

Why is rest and recovery important in training?

Short-term recovery is crucial to maintaining and improving performance and preventing injury in all levels of athletic training. Short-term recovery, sometimes called active recovery, includes the lower intensity cool-down phase after a tough workout as well as an entire rest day that involves low-intensity exercise like walking, stretching or yoga or other cross training. Short-term recovery also requires replenishing energy and fluid lost during exercise and getting adequate sleep.

Sleep quality before and after exercise is important. Researchers suspect that it is deep sleep that helps improve athletic performance because this is the time when growth hormone is released. Growth hormone stimulates muscle growth and repair, bone building and fat burning.

How can more sleep help athletes?

Many studies have tested the effects of sleep deprivation on athletic performance.

Effects include:

  • Slower muscle recovery
  • Changes in mood
  • Increase level of stress hormones, including cortisol
  • Decreased glycogen synthesis
  • Increased aerobic endurance
  • Increased ratings of perceived exertion. 

Fewer studies have looked at the effects of increased sleep. One study from 2009 showed that increased sleep was associated with a faster sprinting speed and hitting accuracy in college tennis players. Another showed that increasing the average number of hours per sleep for a group of basketball players from 6.5 per night to nearly 8.5 hours per night improved their free throw shooting by 11.4% and their three-point shooting by 13.7%. 

Even for the rest of us, exercise can help our sleep. According to the 2013 Sleep in America survey from the National Sleep Foundations, regular exercisers report getting better quality sleep. While those who exercise vigorously reported the best sleep quality, even light exercisers reported better sleep than those who do not exercise at all.

Additionally, non-exercisers are at greater risk for sleep apnea. The same poll found that 44% of non-exercisers are at moderate risk for the disorder compared to only 19% of vigorous exercisers.

Do I need more sleep if I exercise?

It depends on the intensity and frequency of your exercise. Elite athletes are known to sleep 10-12 hours a night while training and nap throughout the day to maintain their endurance.

Each person is different. If you are new to exercise, you may be a lot sleepier after a long run that someone who’s a regular runner. Just like your diet, you need to evaluate your sleep needs based on how you feel. If you’re falling asleep as soon as you crawl into bed and struggling to wake up with your alarm, you are probably sleep deprived.

Verywell.com offers these tips for using sleep to improve your sleep performance:

  • Make sleep a priority in your training schedule.
  • Increase your sleep time several weeks before a major competition.
  • Go to bed and wake up at the same times every day.
  • Take daily naps if you don’t get enough sleep at night.
  • Don’t worry if you have one bad night of sleep, even before a competition. One sleepless night is unlikely to hurt your performance.

Are you concerned that you’re not getting quality sleep due to a sleep disorder? Learn more about how sleep disorders are diagnosed and treated:

Request sleep study

Sources:

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608071939.htm  
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/04/sleep-exercise-sleep-in-america_n_2784457.html 
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/11/building-better-athletes-with-more-sleep/382019/ 
https://www.verywell.com/do-athletes-need-extra-sleep-3120087 

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Comments

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  5. Sebastian Strange Reply

    Short-term recovery is crucial to maintaining and improving performance and preventing injury in all levels of athletic training.

  6. Ayushi Bosus Reply

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  7. Winnipeg Reply

    Short-term recovery is crucial to maintaining and improving performance and preventing injury in all levels of athletic training.

  8. Towing Reply

    Each person is different. If you are new to exercise, you may be a lot sleepier after a long run that someone who’s a regular runner.

  9. Walnut Reply

    While those who exercise vigorously reported the best sleep quality, even light exercisers reported better sleep than those who do not exercise at all.

  10. Bryan Reply

    Just like your diet, you need to evaluate your sleep needs based on how you feel.

  11. capcut template Reply

    Sleep plays a crucial role in exercise recovery. During deep sleep, the body releases growth hormone, repairing damaged tissues and promoting muscle growth. Adequate sleep improves cognitive function, allowing better focus and coordination during workouts. Insufficient sleep can impair recovery, hinder muscle repair, increase injury risk, and negatively impact overall performance.

  12. connections unlimited Reply

    Sleep plays a vital role in exercise recovery. During sleep, the body repairs damaged tissues, regulates hormones, and replenishes energy stores. Sufficient sleep promotes muscle growth, reduces inflammation, and enhances cognitive function. Lack of sleep hampers recovery, leading to decreased performance, increased risk of injury, and impaired immune function. Prioritizing quality sleep is essential for optimal exercise recovery.Sleep plays a vital role in exercise recovery. During sleep, the body repairs damaged tissues, regulates hormones, and replenishes energy stores. Sufficient sleep promotes muscle growth, reduces inflammation, and enhances cognitive function. Lack of sleep hampers recovery, leading to decreased performance, increased risk of injury, and impaired immune function. Prioritizing quality sleep is essential for optimal exercise recovery.

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    Nice post to aware people for this issue

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    That right! A well-rested athlete has more energy and endurance to perform at their best.

  15. Fahad Zahid Reply

    I enjoyed reading this article and learning more about how sleep affects exercise recovery. As a runner, I know how important it is to get enough quality sleep before and after a hard workout or a race. Sleep not only helps me feel more energized and focused, but also helps my muscles heal and adapt to the training stimulus. I have noticed that when I sleep well, I can run faster, longer, and with less effort than when I am sleep deprived.

  16. Oanh Viela Reply

    I’m genuinely impressed by this article. I always knew sleep was essential, but I never realized the profound impact it has on post-exercise recovery. The explanation about the significance of deep sleep and its role in releasing growth hormones was particularly enlightening.

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