When it comes to building muscle, most people focus on their workout routine and nutrition. But there is another crucial factor that often gets overlooked: sleep.
Quality sleep is essential for muscle growth and recovery, in fact that’s when your muscles actually grow, is at night, whilst you rest. And sleep becomes even more essential if you’re trying to lose weight and retain or build muscle at the same time.
Ultimately the short answer to how important is sleep for building muscle, is very.
When Does Muscle Growth Happen
Muscle growth occurs during the bodies “rest and recovery phase”, which happens primarily during sleep. When you engage in strength training exercises, you create microtears in your muscle fibers. During sleep, your body repairs these tears by synthesizing new proteins, resulting in muscle growth. Additionally, sleep is the time when your body replenishes glycogen stores, the main energy source for your muscles. Without sufficient sleep, your body's ability to repair and grow muscle is compromised. In other words “train hard, sleep harder”.
How do muscles grow whilst we sleep?
During sleep, your body undergoes several physiological changes that contribute to the repair and recovery of damaged muscle tissues. Here are some key ways that sleep aids in muscle recovery:
Muscle Repair and Growth: One of the primary benefits of sleep is the release of human growth hormone (HGH), which plays a crucial role in muscle repair and growth. During sleep, HGH stimulates protein synthesis, the process by which damaged muscle fibers are repaired and new muscle tissue is built.
Muscle Glycogen Replenishment: Sleep is also essential for replenishing muscle glycogen stores. Glycogen is the critical fuel source for your muscles, and when you work out, it naturally becomes depleted. Quality sleep ensures that your body replenishes glycogen, providing the necessary fuel for optimal muscle function.
Regulation of Protein Synthesis: Sleep helps regulate myofibrillar protein synthesis, which is the process responsible for building the building blocks of muscle fibers. Research has shown that a lack of sleep can lead to decreased myofibrillar protein synthesis, resulting in decreased muscle mass over time.
Hormonal Balance: Sleep plays a vital role in maintaining hormonal balance, including the regulation of testosterone levels. Testosterone is a key hormone for muscle growth, and inadequate sleep can disrupt its production, leading to impaired muscle recovery and growth.
The Role of Sleep Quality
Not only is the duration of sleep important, but the quality of sleep also plays a crucial role in muscle growth. Good sleep quality ensures that your body goes through the different stages of sleep, including deep sleep, where the most restorative processes occur. During deep sleep, your muscles and tissues are rejuvenated, and an increased supply of blood provides essential nutrients and oxygen for repair and growth. Therefore, optimizing sleep quality is just as important as getting enough sleep for muscle building.
The Impact of Sleep on Muscle Strength
Sleep not only affects muscle growth but also influences muscle strength. Numerous studies have shown a positive association between sleep duration and muscle strength. In a cross-sectional study conducted among Chinese university students, researchers found that good sleep quality was associated with greater muscle strength in both male and female students. [1]
Additionally, men who slept for shorter durations had poorer muscle strength compared to those who slept for 7-8 hours or more. And of course if you go to the gym feeling weaker, you will lift less, and ultimately having a less effective workout leads to less muscle growth.
Interestingly no significant association was observed between sleep duration and muscle strength in female students. The working theory is that sleep deprivation lowers testosterone levels in men substantially and this would play a more significant role.
Does Lack of Sleep Hurt Muscle Growth?
On the flip side, sleep deprivation can have detrimental effects on muscle growth. A study from Brazil followed two groups of people over 72 hours, with one group allowed only 5.5 hours of sleep per day and the other group allowed 8.5 hours. [2] The group with insufficient sleep had significantly less muscle mass compared to the group with adequate sleep. Another study from Australia found that sleep restriction can lead to reduced muscle mass due to impaired processes that maintain muscle mass.
Another study from Australia focused on healthy young men who were deprived of sleep for five consecutive nights. Afterward, they performed exercise tests, and the researchers found that sleep restriction had detrimental effects on the processes responsible for maintaining muscle mass. [3]
Optimal Sleep Duration for Muscle Growth
So, how much sleep do you need for optimal muscle growth? The average adult needs around 7-9 hours of sleep per night. For those looking to increase muscle mass or change body composition, consistently getting this amount of sleep is especially important. If you struggle to achieve a solid seven hours of rest, it's time to prioritize your sleep. Aim to establish a regular sleep schedule and implement strategies to improve sleep quality.
REM Sleep and Muscle Growth
Whilst we’re asleep the brain follows a few specific stages and it takes about 90 minutes to cycle through them all. A sleep cycle goes through 4 stages before REM sleep begins. With certain sleep stages being particularly important for muscle growth.
During non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, specifically the deep sleep stage known as N3, the body undergoes its most physically restorative processes. [5]
In this stage, blood flow to the muscles increases, providing them with oxygen and nutrients necessary for repair and growth.
Does Napping Increase Muscle Growth?
Despite what you’d expect to hear from the above based on the sleep stages, napping could actually help improve muscle recovery, as long as it’s on top of a good nights sleep.
There is actually quite a lot of studies that suggest napping could be a good addition to a good nights sleep for muscle growth and to athletic performance in general.
There have been a few studies that have shown some good reasons to believe this. It is important however, to remember this should be in addition a full 6-8 hours sleep, not as a substitute for it, as that will still have negative effects.
Naps: How Long Should I Sleep To Build Muscle?
Short-term naps, typically lasting between 20 to 30 minutes, are thought to provide a quick boost in alertness and cognitive function, making them popular among athletes who require a rapid recovery.
On the other hand, long-term naps, ranging from 35 to 90 minutes, are believed to offer more extensive benefits, including improved memory consolidation, enhanced physical recovery, and increased alertness and performance levels. And seeing as a 90 minute nap could allow for a full sleep cycle there could be some benefit to muscle recovery and growth.
There is also some evidence to suggest that napping for too long can actually have a negative effect. Causing sleep inertia, or lethargy after the nap. And of course it would then be likely to disrupt you sleep the following night. [6]
The Benefits of Good Sleep for Muscle Growth with Extra Naps
Improved Hormonal Balance: Several studies have suggested that napping can positively influence hormone levels, including growth hormone (GH) and testosterone, which are key players in muscle growth. A recent study found that a short nap of 30 minutes increased growth hormone secretion in healthy individuals. Another study reported increased testosterone levels following a nap in trained athletes. These findings suggest that napping may help optimize hormonal balance, promoting muscle growth. [7]
Enhanced Protein Synthesis: Protein synthesis is a vital process for muscle growth, as it involves the production of new proteins necessary for repairing and building muscle tissue. Research has also demonstrated that napping can enhance protein synthesis rates in individuals engaged in resistance training. The study showed that individuals who took a nap after exercise had higher rates of protein synthesis compared to those who did not nap. This suggests that napping may facilitate muscle recovery and growth by promoting protein synthesis. [8]
Reduction of Muscle Fatigue: Napping has also been shown to reduce muscle fatigue, which can be beneficial for muscle growth. Fatigue is a common phenomenon experienced during and after intense exercise, and it can limit training intensity and volume. A study that investigated the effects of napping on muscle fatigue in athletes and found that a short nap improved muscle endurance and reduced perceived fatigue. [9] By reducing fatigue, napping may allow individuals to train harder and stimulate greater muscle growth.
Enhanced Muscle Repair: Adequate rest and recovery are crucial for muscle repair, and napping can contribute to this process. When we nap, our body enters a state of relaxation, allowing it to divert energy and resources towards repairing damaged muscle tissue. Research recently demonstrated that napping improved muscle repair and reduced muscle damage markers in athletes. This indicates that napping may facilitate the recovery process, enabling more efficient muscle growth. [10]
Tips for Improving Sleep Quality
To optimize sleep quality for muscle growth, consider the following tips:
- Establish a regular sleep schedule: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day to regulate your body's internal clock.
- Create a sleep-friendly environment: Make your bedroom dark, quiet, and cool. Invest in a comfortable mattress and pillows that support your body.
- Reduce exposure to blue light: Avoid screens (phones, tablets, laptops) before bed and consider using blue light-blocking glasses or enabling night mode on your devices.
- Practice relaxation techniques: Engage in activities such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, or gentle stretching before bed to relax your mind and body.
- Limit caffeine and alcohol intake: Avoid consuming caffeine or alcohol close to bedtime, as they can disrupt your sleep patterns.Exercise regularly: Regular physical activity can improve sleep quality.
- However, avoid intense workouts close to bedtime, as they may interfere with falling asleep.
- Manage stress: Find healthy ways to manage stress, such as practicing mindfulness, journaling, or engaging in hobbies that help you relax.
- Limit napping if it stops your sleep: If you have trouble falling asleep at night, limit daytime napping or keep it to short power naps.
References
1 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5749041/
2 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8764952/
3 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7785053/
4 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29199194/
5 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4651462/
6 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6710480/
7 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3955336/
8 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4592522/
9 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9690990/
10 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34559915/
