The Surprising Link Between Sleep and Muscle Size

One of the most basic parts of human life is sleep. You have heard it before; sleep at night to feel better, heal, recover, and recoup your energy for tomorrow. However, there is a surprising link between sleep and muscle size that will blow your mind. The content ahead looks into the research on how sleep may be your link to growing your muscles.

Table of contents

Why Do We Need to Sleep?

Sleep seems like a formality most days. It tends to blend in a routine that may not get the attention and credit it deserves. However, the foundation of our health and wellness is surrounded by getting enough high quality sleep. With that in mind, here are some well-known reasons to sleep and why we need it with regularity.

Physical Energy. Studies have shown the link between sleep quality and duration on physical energy and fatigue. A 2022 study examining sleep among 495 participants linked sleep quality with mental fatigue and physical energy, which underscores a restful night of sleep each night.
Mental Support. The brain needs sleep as this is the way to regenerate neurons. Throughout the day, chemicals build in the brain and sleep plays a role in flushing these compounds away to help promote mental efficiency.
Immunity. Similar to brain efficiency, sleep affects immune function. A restful night of sleep helps to produce compounds that are crucial for fighting infections and various organisms that may invade the body.
Fight Inflammation. A quality night of sleep is important to help regulate the amount of inflammatory markers that roam throughout the body. Cortisol, a main inflammatory compound, is abundant in sleep deprivation and can slow muscle repair and building processes.
Rebuild Tissue. The fitness industry is no stranger to this perk, but sleep is needed to rebuild torn tissues. The muscle contraction process creates micro tears in the fibers, which leads to soreness. Optimal rest can help to repair these fibers and build it to adapt to that training volume for next time.

What Does the Research Show Between Sleep and Building Muscle?

While it is common knowledge that sleep is important for many elements of life, let’s take a look at what the research says for building muscle. Here are some studies to back how important sleep is for building muscle and why you should have a sound sleep pattern.

Sleep affects muscle protein synthesis. Studies have explored how one single night of sleep deprivation can affect protein synthesis. A 2021 study looked into the effects of a single night of sleep deprivation among young participants and found that postprandial muscle protein synthesis was reduced by 18 percent. While this may not seem devastating, long-term sleep deprivation could be a slowing factor in your muscle building process.
Sleep controls hormone balance. It should be no surprise, but testosterone is a hormone that is prevalent among men. It helps to grow facial hair and is vital in the muscle building process. Studies have detailed that low levels of testosterone can decrease sleep quality at night, which can affect the overall muscle building process, and lead to a vicious cycle.
Sleep supports recovery. The muscle recovery process is everything to building muscle. Optimal sleep plays a role in cortisol levels that circulate in the blood, which may be the link to recovery. Inflammation can slow the recovery of tissues and eliminating inflammatory compounds can make or break optimal recovery.
Sleep affects how much you can lift. Studies have examined what can happen when the body does not sleep. Inadequate sleep that is not within normal quality and duration can lead to impairments in maximal muscle strength in compound exercises. Even just mildly not rested can have a major impact on your performance in the gym.

How Much Do We Need?

While sleep may vary for each individual and activity level, it is important to get quality sleep with plenty of duration. It is recommended that adults get more than 7 hours of sleep each night to help recoup muscle, cellular function, and to encourage your body to be at its best.

Helpful Tips to Boost Sleep Quality and Duration

Getting sufficient, quality sleep is important, but sometimes it together can be tricky. Busy lifestyles, schedules, and activities can lead to less sleep at night, so finding ways to boost every restful opportunity is a priority. Here are some helpful tips to help encourage a restful night of sleep so that your body can be at its best.

Make the room dark. Even small amounts of blue light can trigger the mind to waken. This can decrease the quality of sleep at night and cause fatigue in some cases. Consider optimizing the room to contain black out curtains and covering LED electronics to encourage dark sleeping quarters.
Use a white sound machine. White sound is helpful for boosting brain wave activity that encourages sleep. Alpha waves in the brain can help to boost deep sleep patterns needed to repair the body.
Practice meditation. Adding mindfulness with deep breathing or meditation before bed can help to restore the mind and body for a better night of sleep. There are many types of meditation to practice, but finding relaxing ones that focus on the breath are excellent for sleep.
Avoid excessive caffeine. Especially when it comes to later in the day, try to avoid excessive caffeine, as this can cause the mind and body to remain active. It can take a while for caffeine to clear out of the body so late day caffeinated drinks should be avoided if possible.
Turn down the temperature. Cooler rooms can help to calm the body for a peaceful night of sleep. Especially in the warm summer months, try making the room a few degrees cooler for optimal comfort.

Conclusions

While most all know that lifting weights can lead to big and strong muscles, the surprising link between optimal sleep and muscle size is shocking. Aim for good sleep habits at night to help encourage the best muscle growth as possible.