Muscles need sleep too!
Sleep is a restorative process for the mind and body. Sleep allows for repair of muscles as well as hormone secretion that allows for muscle growth. Different process occur in the different stages of sleep, including REM and Non-REM sleep.
The first part of the night of sleep has more predominant Non-REM sleep. Growth hormone is secreted in the first part of the night during this deep slow wave sleep. Also peak gastric acid secretion for digestion occurs between 10pm and 2am. Here protein synthesis actually occurs in the gut rather than in the muscle.
REM sleep is a very active brain time, but for the rest of the body it is a restorative process. As the rest of the body is quiescent, it can now take the protein synthesis from the gut. Muscle recovery occurs in REM sleep where increased blood supply to your muscles delivers extra amounts of oxygen and nutrients which facilitate healing and growth.
Sleep disorders hurts muscle building and promotes fat accumulation. Men with sleep apnea are more likely to have low testosterone, and treating sleep apnea can help return it to normal.
Chronic insomnia is associated with less growth hormone secretion and more muscle breakdown. Too little sleep makes our body less sensitive to insulin, contributing to obesity. Chronic sleep deprivation changes Leptin/Grehlin secretion (appetite hormones), leading to increased appetite of salty, starchy, and sweet foods.
Sleep deprivation is also known to cause myalgia (muscle pain). With decreased sleep there is decreased muscle repair. Additionally the stress state that a person is in with sleep deprivation puts a body in a proinflammatory state that upregulates pain receptors. Ouch!
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