#4 Sleep Is Better Than Working Out
August 11th, 2010 | 
Author: Okay, that’s not strictly true. But it’s true sometimes. Maybe you only slept for four hours last night and are just generally feeling lethargic. We often neglect sleep for many reasons. Working out shouldn’t consistently be one of them.
Now, I’m not talking about maybe you’re a little tired from the day and hitting the gym isn’t what you really want to do. I’m not talking about “Wow, it’s early, and this bed is nice and warm.” I’m talking about serious lack of sleep.
There’s no reason to push yourself to hit the gym in a sleep-deprived state. Decreased nervous system response will lead to a loss of strength. Cardio-respiratory function will be impaired, leading to a loss of stamina. In other words, you’re not going to get a great workout in, anyway.
Rest up, and hit it HARD the next day. You’ll get a better workout, burn more calories and increased focus will make you less apt to injure yourself.
Obviously, if this decision is happening quite often in your life, you need to get more sleep period. Sleep is when your body recovers, and as we all know, recovery is so crucial to maintaining good fitness and an injury-free lifestyle.
If there’s a serious decision brewing between sleep and the gym, opt for the sleep. Your body will thank you for getting some extra shut-eye. Catching up on sleep is a good thing sometimes. Just don’t make missing your workouts a serious habit.
-Drew
Posted in Uncategorized
Drew,
have you tried optimizing your sleeping conditions. Like sleeping in a cold room with no electrical appliances running, etc?
Yes, I have. The only problem is that sleeping in a cold room just makes staying under the warm blankets that much more appealing!
-Drew
Sleep is UNDERRATED for sure … your body need to rest after intense workouts as you say
..sleep releases all the magical stuff that helps the body to rebuild and grow and especially the brain needs it too.
The big body builders they recommend afternoon naps and at least 8 hours of sleep.
Glad you spoke on this topic.
Raymond
Drew,
Excellent point about sleep and the impact that lack of sleep has on workout intensity. I always shoot for 7-8 hours of sleep.
Dave
The importance of sleep or “growing outside of the gym” is often neglected.
Some people can’t survive without 8 hours of sleep whilst others do just fine on 4-5.
The older we get, the less sleep we need too.
For me, i can do just fine on 7hours a night maximum and get up at 5.30am to train.
Drew,
Sometimes when I get home late from work, I skip my workout and make sure I have an early night. I know people that regularly go on only 4 or 5 hours of sleep per night, but there’s no way I can do this. I believe not getting enough sleep will catch up to you sooner or later.
Alykhan
Alykhan,
I am guilty of only getting 4-5 hours of sleep a night and know that I need to get more. I am working on it, though. I kind of wish I could clone myself so I could get more done each day!
-Kelly
Taking a week off every 10-12 weeks is a huge builder. I change more during my week off than I do while training. it alwasy works that way. rest is when muscles grow, its the way to do it.
Alenjandro – I both dread and look forward to my week off. I dread it because I hate being out of the gym that long, but I love the way it recharges me.
-Drew
I agree with Clint and Alykhan: 4-5 hours is definitely not enough sleep for optimal recovery. The nervous system becomes compromised (like you mentioned) if you get less than 6 hours of sleep. However, since I’m in college and often procrastinate and pull semi-all nighters, I frequently get only a few hours of sleep. To combat my low energy from lack of sleep, I drink a caffeinated drink before my workout. Caffeine has been shown to increase strength if taken before a workout.
Jeff
Jeff – Caffeine can be a great resource. I would use it if I could, but it just gives me heart palpitations.
-Drew