Sleep Is The New Drug

Why sleep is the new drug? if you are that type who hardly gets any sleep with some occasional 8-hour sleep, chances are that you are building an effective strategy to get the worst results possible. We already know how important sleep is, not just for the sake of survival but to increase your gains or even to lose your fat, lack of sleep will negatively affect your physical and mental state, following are some of the consequences

Drop-in Performance

Sleep has a major impact on your performance. Studies found that people who are chronically lacking sleep showed a significantly slower reaction time on the Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT), which is a chronometric measure of an individual's attention and reaction to a specified visual stimulus. Slower alertness means both your mental and motor capacity will be at a low rate. you still can push heavy weights or perform at a high intensity, but the sleep deprivation will cause trouble in metabolizing glucose which means your energy levels will be breaking down to fuel your body instead of the glucose.

Hormonal Imbalance

When you hit deep sleep (REM) your body releases high amounts of anabolic hormones such as testosterone and IGF-1. Testosterone is an essential hormone for building those muscles when you disrupt the REM sleep cycle, you are causing your body to delay the release of these ever-important hormones and disrupting your body’s ability to repair the torn muscle cells and build new muscle. some study says people who suffer from sleep apnea had lower levels of Testosterone.

Lower Catabolism

Catabolism is a process in which the complex molecules in the body are broken down into smaller molecules to be used as energy. Sleep deprivation causes the levels of muscle breaking hormones to be at a low rate. Cortisol is a stress hormone, you don't need this hormone to be active in high levels in your body. Studies show that people sleeping in the daytime were unable to reduce the cortisol hormone levels in their bodies compared to the people who slept regular hours at night. so, all those night warriors risk losing more muscle

Weight Loss

Trying hard to lose all those fat? hit the bed. while sleeping doesn't directly help you to lose more bodyweight, but it does help you to get rid of the right type of unwanted weight. some study shows the people who slept 8-hours per night were able to lose more of their body fat while preserving their muscles.

Increased Appetite

A multitude of studies points out that the people who lack sleep showed increased levels of Ghrelin, which is responsible for that worst hunger that you experience. a rise in your appetite will result in more eating and a bigger belly that you are trying hard to get rid of. aha, you can't afford to mess with your sleep.

so, sleep is the new drug! and are you feeling tired and sleepy? chances are that you are among the night owls and you won't be doing half work as you normally would. what are you still staring at? Just go to sleep Now! Good night.