SportDr

When people talk about wanting to put on muscle, you always read that same sort of questions, how much training, how much protein, how much creatine but how about how much sleep?

During sleep you release hormones, which are strongly anabolic, Leutinising Hormone (LH), Growth Hormone (GH) and Testosterone (T), this is why you do all your healing during sleep and your immunity to infection increases.

Importantly Testosterone levels are increased during sleep, whether it is night sleep OR day sleep, in one study here by as much as 10nmol/litre. The implication of this is that those of you who have the luxury of afternoon naps may be naturally increasing your test! perhaps we all should do it??

The other great bodybuilding hormone is Growth Hormone (GH). GH levels increase at night, demonstrated here but due to negative feedback, levels may only go so high and once reached will cause the body to stop releasing further GH. This means that any injection of GH should possibly be done well before bedtime to prevent suppression of natural GH. A study shows this here. It is also the quality of sleep that is important, as GH increases are shown particularly before and during stage 3&4 sleep.

Interestingly Melatonin may NOT be the best way to get a natural sleep, in an article by the National Sleep Foundation here you can find out all you ever wanted to know about this hormone before you decide to take it.

Therefore the three things you need to consider before bedtime are:

Quantity of Sleep (from sleep foundation)

Adults require 7-9 hours of uninterupted sleep per night.

Quality of Sleep (from sleep foundation)

• Avoid caffeine (coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate) and nicotine (cigarettes, tobacco products) close to bedtime.
• Avoid alcohol as it can lead to disrupted sleep.
• Exercise regularly, but complete your workout at least 3 hours before bedtime.
• Establish a regular relaxing, not alerting, bedtime routine (e.g. taking a bath or relaxing in a hot tub).
• Create a sleep-conducive environment that is dark, quiet and preferably cool and comfortable.

I would also add to the above that you don't eat a heavy meal too close to bedtime.

Hormone Release During Sleep

• Do not take Hormone replacements/ prohormones too close to bedtime or you will effect a Negative Feedback response and shutdown your own hormones, GH, LH,T.
• Have a protein rich meal (Glutamine or BCAA) close to bedtime, no simple carbs, to advocate anabolism but don't go OTT, you have a large Protein pool to draw on in the blood already from meals 6,7 &8.
• Do you really need Melatonin? Do your research.

In conclusion: Successful Bodybuilding= Effective training + Quality Diet + Sensible Supplementation + A Good Nights Kip!

SLEEPTIPS

HTH

SD

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Toregar

I totally agree with sleep being a key component in building your body. However, I've read that sleeping 6 hours + 2 hour nap is just as effective as sleeping 8 straight. It's what I do, and I actually feel better if I do it that way. 8 straight hours feels good, but the nap just makes me feel loads better.

SportDr

Hi Toregar,

Yes 6+2 hours of sleep is very effective, according to my research it doesn't matter whether you sleep day or night, its the quality that counts. The only downside I could see to you doing this is that you dont release the GH until you reach stage 3-4 sleep, this takes a while, so breaking your sleep up into pieces i.e 6+2 might result in less of the quality stage 3 &4 sleep. I shouldn't think by much though as long as you can sleep deeply almost straight away, which if you can I am envious

I wonder if more sleep is better? as your GH,LH & T are all elevated, perhaps if you slept all day and night only waking to train or eat, you would look like Ronnie Coleman in a few months? or if there is a point of diminishing returns?

SD

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crazycal1

i do think everyone is so diet obsessed these days that sleep is a forgotten factor-
incedentally i worked nites for 10 years and slept like the dead everynite 8-10 hours every time-
i felt like a sack of crap most of the time so i gotta say it does matter whether you sleep during the day or nite(for me)

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Toregar

Cheers SD

I'll have to keep in mind the GH Factor of my sleep. Might just have to switch to 8 hours straight :P

DB

defo you need the sleep..

however when people start gettin up at 11:30 a m(ASH!!!) u miss a good 1000 calories by then so u wont grow IMO

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often imitated never duplicated
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DB sleeps with a night light. Not because DB is
afraid of the dark, but the dark is afraid of DB.


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the_gre8t_1ne

LMAO! single me out why dont u! man its the weekend, ill like to stay up late and sleep in! damn rasklat!

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crazycal1

me too-
i got a solid 9 hours last nite and dragged my carcass outta bed at 12 :lift:

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hackskii

Well, I do feel it matters what time you sleep.
Melatonin is released when the sun is not present.

I see many guys on my job that work graveyard shift. Most of them look like crap after a few years of working while others are sleeping.
They all look like that.

I do love to sleep and try to get 8 hours but that alcohol thing tosses a stick in my spokes of my wheels

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Broady

I've always wondered where the phrase POWER NAP came from!!