Working out is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. However, if you are not getting quality sleep at night, your workouts will suffer, as will the rest of your health and well-being. Sleep is the foundation for a healthy and happy life. It is just as important as eating and breathing. Without it, you can’t live much longer than a week. That is why we are going to go over how to get the best seep for your workouts. When you get enough quality shut-eye, you will enjoy better workout performance and easier workouts. If you want to make exercise easier, then keep reading.
Here are a few tweaks you can make to your daily routine that will help you get the best sleep for your workouts.
Numerous studies have found that when your body temperature drops slightly, your metabolism will slow down while your body relaxes more. When you set your thermostat somewhere between 60 F and 68 F, you reach the coveted “Goldilocks zone” where you get the best quality of uninterrupted sleep. A night of deep sleep helps make exercise easier. Also, when you get better quality sleep, you produce more human growth hormone, which is vital for repairing your muscles after an intense workout.
To unlock better workout performance, as well as improved performance in other areas of your life, you should follow a set routine. This helps your body’s circadian rhythms to stay consistent and send you a cue for when it is time to sleep. Once you stick to a routine, you will notice you get drowsy around the same every night.
Protein repairs and rebuilds muscles after you have an arduous workout. Many proteins also have tryptophan, which promotes drowsiness. This makes it easier to fall asleep. If you want to be eating protein-rich foods that also contain tryptophan, you should consider loading up on the following:
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Fish
- Turkey
- Tofu
- Nuts
- Seeds
If you want to boost the sleep-inducing benefits of these foods, eat them along with some starch-filled carbs like rice and quinoa.
Do you want to get the best sleep for easier workouts? If so, then you are going to need to stop eating three hours before going to bed. Otherwise, you will find it challenging to fall asleep. Digesting food while sleeping means your body will convert that food into energy. In the morning, you may even feel bloated, which isn’t going to make it easy to start your day or go to the gym early. Eating late at night can also lead to unwanted weight gain.
Sleeping on your back will lead to getting the best sleep. If you are a side sleeper, you may believe that it is the best way for you to sleep. However, it comes with several disadvantages. You will feel more aches and pains, have tense muscles, and even potentially get acid reflux. Becoming a back sleeper will help you get the best sleep so you can enjoy better workout performance.
Depending on how old you are, how active you are, and your genetics, you will need more or less sleep to feel rejuvenated and restored. However, as a general rule, you should always aim to get at least seven hours of sleep. When you get less, even for one night, you will feel more tired, have slower reaction times, and suffer from impaired cognitive functioning. That’s bad news for getting a good workout in. If you want easier workouts, then get at least seven hours of sleep every night.
We know how tempting it is to stay up using your devices late at night, be it your phone, computer, or something else. However, these all make it harder to fall asleep due to the blue light emitted from them disrupting your circadian rhythms. They can reduce the amount of melatonin your body produces, which is a hormone that helps you fall asleep. If you want to make exercise easier, then turn off your devices two hours before going to bed. When you want to improve your sleep even further, then turn off any lights you don’t need and dim the ones you still want to use. If you don’t have a dimmer, then make sure you are only using soft white lighting with low lumens and wattage.
Going back to what we said about circadian rhythms, daylight can also improve your sleep. When you get natural sunlight or are exposed to bright lights during the day, your circadian rhythms receive a message that it’s time to stay awake. Studies have found that getting two hours of sunlight or bright light exposure during the daytime boosts the amount of sleep you get at night. In fact, you can enjoy up to two more hours than normal. This can be especially helpful for people with sleep issues like insomnia.
Caffeine is a great energy booster. However, it can also stop your body from getting relaxed enough to fall asleep. If you drink caffeine up to six hours before going to bed, your sleep quality will be reduced. In fact, caffeine may stay in your system for up to eight hours! If you are drinking beverages with a lot of caffeine, or are taking weight loss supplements that have plenty of caffeine, be sure to stop drinking or taking them past 3 or 4 PM.
If you want to make exercise easier and enjoy better workout performance, then you can follow these tips. Good quality sleep is essential to get the most out of your workouts. You will also feel full of energy for when you are exercising.