Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below
How little sleep is too little?
- Thread starter Liftbig
- Start date
Eatmorechicken
New member
Sleep studies have shown that some people ideally need only 5-6 hours of sleep while others needed 9+ regularly to feel rested and energetic throughout their days. The average was found to be 8 hours.
Direct muscle recovery isn't a major issue during sleep, but central nervous system and immune system recovery and support are. Deprive yourself of adequate sleep for too long, and you run a greater risk of having a poor workout here and there on one end of the spectrum to serious CNS overtraining on the other. And it's a bitch that CNS overtraining can manifest itself through stubborn insomnia when you do finally get the time to sleep. Sleep deprivation also makes one more prone to coming down sick with flu bugs and what not as sleep plays a significant role in immunofunction support.
If you have no alternative to a stressful, sleep-depriving schedule, then some things you can do are:
1. Short power naps (even in your car on breaks, if need be)
2. Short sessions of meditation have been shown to be beneficial for CNS and immune system support
3. Make sure you're getting you're getting good nutrition including enough anti-oxidants
4. Relax/extend your goals (for example, say your goal is to gain X amount of muscle or add X amount of weight to a lift over 3 months, you might revise that goal to gain that amount of muscle or weight over 4-6 months instead)
5. Consider adding an extra rest day or two into your workout split if you can
Direct muscle recovery isn't a major issue during sleep, but central nervous system and immune system recovery and support are. Deprive yourself of adequate sleep for too long, and you run a greater risk of having a poor workout here and there on one end of the spectrum to serious CNS overtraining on the other. And it's a bitch that CNS overtraining can manifest itself through stubborn insomnia when you do finally get the time to sleep. Sleep deprivation also makes one more prone to coming down sick with flu bugs and what not as sleep plays a significant role in immunofunction support.
If you have no alternative to a stressful, sleep-depriving schedule, then some things you can do are:
1. Short power naps (even in your car on breaks, if need be)
2. Short sessions of meditation have been shown to be beneficial for CNS and immune system support
3. Make sure you're getting you're getting good nutrition including enough anti-oxidants
4. Relax/extend your goals (for example, say your goal is to gain X amount of muscle or add X amount of weight to a lift over 3 months, you might revise that goal to gain that amount of muscle or weight over 4-6 months instead)
5. Consider adding an extra rest day or two into your workout split if you can
OfWolfandMan
New member
I know this is a little off the topic,but I do any of you have trouble sleeping at night?I get to where I cant get to sleep at night without a sleep aid,and sometimes after days that Ive lost too much sleep,Ill get to sleep fast,but I can usually only sleep for a few hours then its like my nerves are going nut and I have to get up.
I work third shift and nothing has felt right since I started,but when I was in school and lifted around 3-4pm after school,I had a really hard time getting to sleep,Now Im wanting to switch to first shift,but do not want to get in a situation like I did in school,where I couldnt sleep at night.....anyone have tips on getting to sleep?
Thanks
I work third shift and nothing has felt right since I started,but when I was in school and lifted around 3-4pm after school,I had a really hard time getting to sleep,Now Im wanting to switch to first shift,but do not want to get in a situation like I did in school,where I couldnt sleep at night.....anyone have tips on getting to sleep?
Thanks
OfWolfandMan,
I hear you bro. I am not a good sleeper and generally get about 6 hours of not very sound sleep a night. When I worked a rotating shift job my sleep patterns were so fucked up, on my graveyard turn, I'd literally get about 2 hours a day and even they weren't a sound 2 hours. Dead ass tired all the time but couldn't sleep...it sucked.
I hear you bro. I am not a good sleeper and generally get about 6 hours of not very sound sleep a night. When I worked a rotating shift job my sleep patterns were so fucked up, on my graveyard turn, I'd literally get about 2 hours a day and even they weren't a sound 2 hours. Dead ass tired all the time but couldn't sleep...it sucked.
