You don’t get fitter in the gym! Of course, it’s contrary to the popular belief, but studies are proving that efforts between the weights and treadmill provide the body with the stimulus required to get faster, stronger and fitter. The magic happens during the time you spend sleeping between the sheets of your luxurious bed.
This is because the body heals from all sickness and issues during this period. Rejuvenating hormones as Growth hormones are at their peak during this time, while immune system recovers preventing you from becoming sick. Even critical neurotransmitters of the brain stay replenished and keep you motivated.
Consider this: while you’re asleep, there’s an orchestra of biochemical activities going on in the body, while you’re dreaming. This process is designed to keep you refreshed, capable, and adapted for improving yesterday’s workout.
For all these reasons and more, today’s article is about the significance of sleep on your fitness, and majorly when it’s about sleep, it doesn’t just mean improper sleep – it’s continuous sleep on the right mattress! Let’s find out both:
The Importance of Sleep on Your Health and Fitness
The study was first conducted by the scientist, C.M Shapiro et al, 1981 monitored the sleep patterns of athletes in six test subjects, those that followed a 92km marathon. The results showed a drastic increase in the sleep time as compared to the routine sleep patterns. The body showed a desperate need for quality sleep for recovering.
With the help of electroencephalogram (EEG) they found specifically increased periods of sleep, especially the first two nights of the marathon tests. The researchers concluded that the objective of quantitative increase in the total sleep time was particularly supporting the theory that it’s very important for the athletes to have deep sleep which is optimal for recovery.
So, Does Optimal Sleep Help in the Gym in Becoming Fitter?
The simple way to answer is in a complete way is: Yes quality and consistent sleep pattern helps the body in becoming fitter. The workout that you do at the gym is stimulated because of good sleep routine and the pattern the schedule that you will follow in routine. You might understand this better with a study conducted at Stanford Sleep Disorder Clinic and Research Laboratory at Stanford University, USA: here the effect of prolonged sleep on basketball players was studied.
The researchers made six basketball players obtain as much sleep as possible during a two weeks time period. Better accuracy and quick print was reported, further followed by better moods, increased sense of vigor, and a decreased sense of fatigue. The same was also tested on swimmers for six to seven weeks and results for a 15 meter sprint showed improved mood, reaction, and turn time. This concluded that an increase in the amount of the sleep time of athletes enhanced their performance significantly.
What Does a Good Bed have to do with the Fitness and Quality of Sleep?
Well, first of all, it’s important to know what a good bed is. According to few studies, no bed is a good bed. This is does not mean that you sleep on the floor; it simply means choosing a mattress that is firm and not very soft. If you have ever visited Japan or seen the traditional Japanese bed, you wouldn’t think of anything but of an authentic Japanese futon mattress.
Traditional Japanese futons are made of 100% cotton and provide not only deep sleep but eliminate back pain and stiff neck issues. These two factors can affect the sleep and can make you wake up during sleep hours which as a result affect the day routine and work. When the sleep is continuous, your body rejuvenates, heals, and you outperform the routine tasks. Futons also keep you healthy and allow you to breathe well and stay free from allergies.
All things considered, it seems that placing an emphasis on the sleep, sleep patterns, and the sleeping bed, you will be able to do your gym and stay fitter. And, if you don’t sleep, you will have hormonal handbrake when training – both in terms of neurotransmitters and growth hormone.