November 2020 Newsletter

Recovery: Naps and Sleep

By: JP E.

In order to practice healthy living and perform best at the gym, recovery is essential. Though there are many aspects to recovery, we will focus on the importance of naps and sleep.

First off, let’s talk about naps and why they should be considered a part of our daily routine. Essentially, naps are short periods of sleep that are taken during the day with the intention of restoring mental alertness.

Here are some of their benefits:

1. They increase one’s attention, performance, learning and memory
2. They restore one’s cognition, which can weaken when one feels drowsy

To have an effective nap, here are some tips to consider:

1. Duration: less than 30 minutes
2. When: no later than 3:00 P.M.
3. Where: a quiet, dark and cool place

Next, let’s talk about the importance of sleep and how it can help us with recovery. Sometimes our lives become very busy and we end up not being able to sleep properly. As a result, we do not perform at our best and we feel tired throughout the day. When we are too tired, we might either skip going to the gym or force ourselves to workout, which can result in injury.

Here are 7 ways a proper sleep schedule can be beneficial:

1. Improve function of immune system
2. Improve memory and motor learning
3. Help with physical and mental recovery
4. Repairs body tissues
5. Helps with decision making and concentration
6. Reduces the feeling of fatigue

If we don’t give ourselves enough time to sleep, some potential consequences include:

1. Impaired glucose metabolism (carbohydrates)
2. Decrease in muscle recovery, muscle protein synthesis and muscle glycogen stores
3. Lowered attention and focus
4. Increased neuromuscular fatigue
5. Increased risk of infection

While it is important to not get less sleep than necessary, you also do not want to oversleep. Here are some consequences of oversleeping:

1. Weight gain
2. Headaches
3. Back pain
4. Depression
5. Heart disease

To avoid the negative effects of not getting enough sleep and oversleeping, here are some tangible actions one can take:

1. Eat a balanced diet with a variety of whole foods
2. Drink plenty of water during the day
3. Exercise
4. Keep a regular sleep schedule
5. Consume caffeine before lunch time
6. Place your electronics away from your bed

By leaving enough time to nap and/or sleep, we allow ourselves to recover from built-up stress, focus properly throughout the day and get the best results from training at the gym. With this in mind, ensure you plan your day such that you have plenty of time to nap and/or sleep. Generally, a healthy rest schedule includes one 30 minute nap during the day and 7-9 hours of sleep at night.