Choose to Snooze

Sleep on Exercise, Exercise on Sleep, the Benefits

What if I told you that sleep is just as important as exercise? I imagine you wouldn’t be too disappointed. Well, lucky for you it is. Just like a healthy meal plan goes hand in hand with your workout schedule, so should counting sheep. 

Sleep on Exercise

The impact that sleep can have on your workout from post, during and after is massive. What could be possibly more annoying than having your weeks worth of workouts planned and your gym classes booked and then suddenly a case of the flu knocks you down? With enough sleep you are less susceptible to illness, meaning your training routine can go ahead as planned. As well as this, sleep helps conserve energy which is vital for an effective workout. During sleep your body recovers from all the hard work you put in during those workouts, this time allows muscles to build and repair. The list doesn’t end there though. If you are an athlete sleep is great for you, it helps to improve reaction time, accuracy and speed. Sleep is also known to contribute to maintaining a healthy weight. 

Exercise on Sleep

Recent research carried out by Kings College London found that since the pandemic, almost two-thirds of the public have reported some sort of negative impact on their sleep and we can sympathise as to why.

The good news however is that exercise improves both how deep you sleep and sleep length. Whilst there is not much science to say why, many studies have proven the positive effects that exercise has on sleep quality. What is more understood though is how exercise reduces stress and anxiety which in turn leads to better sleep, especially when it comes to the initial stage of getting to sleep. 

When smashing that home workout class or when setting the alarm for that early morning gym session, do not forget the importance of catching a few zzz’s and providing yourself with the right healthy balance.