Why sleep is key to gaining muscle mass
During sleep, different metabolic and muscle recovery processes take place in the body . Therefore, restful and quality sleep is key to increasing muscle mass.
When sleeping, the body enters an anabolic state . During this time the body takes care of essential issues to gain muscle mass:
- Secrete the hormones involved in the synthesis of protein a.
- Repair muscle fibers damaged during physical exercise.
Sleep is, therefore, an essential moment for the creation of muscle mass.
How to increase muscle mass by sleeping
If you are thinking about how to gain muscle mass in women by sleeping, since muscle development in the female body is more complicated than in the male, you should know that just going to sleep is not enough. Implementing a routine to gain muscle mass during the night involves taking certain habits while you stay awake . These are essential both to prepare the body to gain muscle mass and to enjoy quality sleep. And both are necessary to increase muscle mass by sleeping.
Work during the day to increase muscle mass by sleeping
- Include a routine to gain muscle mass in your weekly physical exercise plan.
Working with strength exercises will help you prepare your body to gain muscle and enjoy a toned body. Sleeping well will enhance your training performance and obtain better results.
Considering how to increase muscle mass while you sleep without focusing on it during the day will not give you the level of results you want. - Eat a fitness diet.
Proper nutrition is essential. Both to promote sleep and to facilitate muscle development. To do this, avoid the consumption of harmful fats . Eat lean meats and low-fat dairy products . Don’t forget the importance of including Omega 3 and Omega 6 in your diet. And consume legumes in a balanced way .
Acquire lifestyle habits that promote quality sleep
When considering how to increase muscle mass by sleeping, we are not talking about taking a sporadic nap. What it is about is enjoying quality and restful sleep . Unless you work at night, this is night sleep.
Encouraging quality sleep at night is possible by implementing habits aimed at this end in your life.
- Avoid heavy dinners . Also those that include heavy foods or that cause discomfort during digestion.
- Don’t go to bed immediately after dinner . Allow two hours to pass after finishing dinner to digest awake.
- Try to go to bed at the same time every day whenever possible . It will help you fall asleep and sleep straight away.
- Reduce salt consumption . This way you will avoid waking up at night thirsty. Additionally, drinking during the night can cause you to wake up more times to urinate. And sleeping in fits and starts is not compatible with restful, quality sleep.
- Avoid watching upsetting television programs before going to bed. Fiery debates, horror or violent movies or action series are more suitable for other times.
- Try to sleep in a dark space or with very dim lighting.
- Avoid consuming stimulating drinks after midday .
- Whenever it’s up to you, sleep in a quiet space . Avoid sleeping with music or with the television on.
- Turn off your computer, tablet and mobile phone . Or silence the latter. It will help you sleep better and prevent uninteresting notifications from arriving at the wrong time that could disrupt your rest.
- Don’t exercise right before bed . Ideally, at least two hours should pass between now and the time to go to sleep.
- Sleep in a cozy space . A comfortable mattress, well-stretched sheets and an adequate temperature in the room will help you enjoy quality sleep.
- Relax your mind when you go to bed to fall asleep sooner .
Take steps to reduce your stress levels to reduce cortisol production while you sleep.
The body generates cortisol during sleep and, if it does so to a lesser extent, this can promote catabolism . Taking steps to reduce stress will help reduce cortisol production during sleep . For this reason, when considering how to increase muscle mass by sleeping, it is key to avoid a stress-free life.
And what can you do to eliminate stress from your life?
- Exercise regularly.
- Eat properly by following a healthy and balanced diet .
- Practice some discipline that connects body and mind . For example yoga or tai chi.
- Identify the factors that generate stress and take effective measures to avoid it . Or, at least, to reduce them as much as possible.
- Maintain a positive attitude towards life. Although it largely depends on personal character, it is something that can be worked on to improve.
- Avoid regular contact with toxic people whenever possible.
- Practice meditation. It is especially interesting if you do it every day before going to bed.
- Pamper yourself to avoid stress. A massage or a restorative bath will help you relax . And, at the same time, they will help you recover muscle after physical exercise .
- Organize your life to avoid always being in a hurry and stressed . Keeping an agenda and sticking to it can help you a lot. It may seem like something very basic to you but it is also a very effective measure.
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