Between work, family, and trying to eat well and exercise, it can feel like there’s no time to sleep. But getting enough sleep is just as important to your health as anything else, and not getting enough sleep can have serious effects on your overall health and how well your workouts work for you. So, what could happen to your workout if you don’t get enough sleep? Read on to find out more. 

Photo by Elias Ficavontade

Motivation Levels 

Lack of sleep makes you lethargic and unmotivated, and it makes you less likely to work out, especially if you are busy already. You will also have less energy, which will keep you from getting the most out of your exercise routine.

The more good quality sleep you can get, the more energized you will be. You’ll also be more motivated and focused, and you’ll find a way to fit your exercise into your day, no matter how busy you might be. 

Better Metabolism 

When you don’t get enough sleep, your body makes less leptin, which is a hormone that tells the brain you’re full and keeps you from eating too much. It can also cause your body to make more ghrelin, which is often called the “hunger hormone” because it can make you feel more hungry.

If you can sleep better, you’ll find that your appetite is not as high and you can eat less yet still feel full. This, combined with regular exercise, will help you lose weight and stay fit, which is crucial for a happy life. 

Heals Your Muscles

Perhaps you’ve heard people say that babies need to sleep because that’s when they grow. Perhaps you thought it was a bit of a myth. However, you might be surprised to learn that it’s actually true because the growth hormone is released while you sleep. 

Although this is good for babies and young children because it will help them to grow, it’s also good for fully grown adults because this is the same hormone that helps your bones and muscles get stronger, which is very important for getting better after a workout. This is especially important if you’re doing strength training because your muscles need this hormone to heal so you can keep training. If you find that your muscles are particularly sore sometimes, you might be experiencing DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). If that’s the case, you can prevent DOMS with KT Tape. This, plus getting enough sleep, should prevent or at least reduce soreness. 

Better Food Choices

Sleep is a very important part of how our hunger hormones work, as we’ve mentioned above. However, there is more to consider. The fact is that when we don’t get enough sleep, it affects the parts of the brain that help us decide what to eat. This makes us more likely to eat more and worse food.

When we don’t get enough sleep, we tend to want sweet and fatty foods, and the part of the brain that helps us be strong-willed is less likely to stop us from doing that. So, not getting enough sleep for a long time is linked to being overweight.