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Muscle Growth While You Sleep

By: Lena Hellsten Are you one of those people that do everything right and still don't feel like you're gaining muscles as fast as you would like? You work out well at the gym and eat a lot of protein and quality foods, but it just doesn't come to you. Where's your muscular body? If you've really ticked off your list and you honestly can say that your attempt to gain is sincere, there might be another aspect to it that you've missed.

Sleep.

By giving your body a full nights sleep you give it the base it needs to be able to build stronger muscles. Examine your sleeping patterns; do you have a deep sleep or one that is light with interruptions? Is it easy for you to fall asleep or do you toss and turn for hours? Do you feel rested when you wake up or do you take hours to get going?

Have you ever wondered why children sleep a lot more then adults? Surely a lot of things are being improved while they are sleeping but most certainly they grow a lot more than adults. Most bodily growth happens while we are sleeping and this is why sleep is so important.

40 minutes into your sleep the body starts to raise the number of growth hormones in the body, including testosterone which is the main hormone for muscle growth. The energy that's been provided to the body is then being used to renew the cells and to increase the number to give it the ability to handle the new activity level it's been facing during the day.

When you're missing out on a good nights sleep, your body is not able to do the transit from work-mode to relax-mode. In this way you slow down the building up process that happens naturally while in the relaxed state.

If you find that you have problems going to sleep or having a light sleep, there are different things that can aid you in this. First of all, don't stress out about it, if you're worrying too much about not being able to sleep, this will be what really hinders you from falling asleep. Take your time in the evenings to wind down from all that has happened during the day, have some calming herbal tea, like chamomile or peppermint, or have a cup of warm milk.

Find ways to relax that works for you, maybe read a nice book, listen to some relaxing music or even get a tape with some relaxing exercise, like hypnosis. Do what feels just right for you.

When you have a meal an hour or so before going to bed with a high amount of protein, you give your body the nutrition it needs to build muscles while resting. Make sure you don't eat just before going to bed since this might decrease the quality of your sleep. Let your body digest the food properly and then you can rest and let it do its work.

Find ways that works for you. By taking sleeping medication you might fall asleep easier, but it actually makes the sleep less deep and if you're taking it every night your body will adjust to it and there's even a risk of getting dependent on them.

If you give your body the time it needs to be able to do the work that it needs to do, you'll be amazed to see how fast your muscles can grow.