Why Sleep is so very important for your health and recovery

Do you get the recommended 8 hours of sleep every night?

The majority of you I'm sure will answer no to this question, sleep tends to take a backseat nowadays and has become less of a priority.

I know that as we get older time is something we need more of, but seem to have less of due to work, family, and other obligations.

If your work, family, and obligations are important to you than so too should your health be. Maintaining proper health including the recomended amount of sleep will ensure that you can not only continue with your daily activities of living, but also live your life to the fullest.

In the fitness world sleep is just as important as diet and exercise.  

Muscle growth and repair does not happen during  training sessions, it happens during sleep.

When you fall into a REM cycle your body begins the repair process.

So...Sleep is instrumental in any gains made in the gym.

Read more on sleep to improve performance here:

http://www.sleepfoundation.org/alert/sleep-athletic-performance-and-recovery

The benefits of sleep go beyond just muscle tissue repair though....

The Huffington Post lists 11 health benefits of sleep including - lower stress levels, ability to maintain healthy weight, and improved performance to name a few.

A consistent sleep schedule of 8 hours will yield improvements in mental acuity and performance, it will assist in decreasing inflammation linked to heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

For those recovering from  stroke or spinal cord injury, research suggests that regular sleeping habits has been shown to boost production of brain support cells, and specifically for post stroke persons to enhance motor skill learning.

In a recent post, I discussed the importance of consistency not just for exercise and diet but also in life.  I feel that this is especially true for good sleeping habits as well.

Better your health today by planning for improved sleep tonight.

Keep Fighting, Never Give Up

-Devon