Health Tip for Today ~ DYK There is a Relationship Between Sleep & Muscle Gain?

Want Muscle Gain? Get Adequate Sleep

Few habits will help you build muscle as effectively as getting enough sleep every night. “Sleep is when the magic happens for muscle development,” Chesworth says. For example, the dreamless non-REM sleep phase activates hormones involved in protein synthesis (the process of creating protein), according to an October 2014 review in ‌Sports Medicine‌. This helps repair damaged muscle tissue, allowing muscles to grow back bigger and stronger. Plus, skimping on sleep can harm your workout the following day. According to a June 2022 review in ‌Sports Medicine‌, getting fewer than six hours of sleep significantly affected lower-body strength during afternoon workouts. “If you don’t get enough sleep, physical gains will be unlikely to occur, despite consuming protein and hitting the weights,” Erin Nitschke, CPT, certified personal trainer and health coach, tells LIVESTRONG.com. If you want to build muscle, aim for at least seven hours of quality sleep per night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).