Sleep is like fresh air, its benefits we don’t notice at times, but are always best realized when we lose them. I’m sure you’ve all experienced the discomfort of a day or two without a good night’s sleep. Sleep is indispensable for daily life, but also for sports and fitness.

The adverse effects of poor sleep on fitness are as follows:

1. Break down muscle and retain fat

Poor sleep causes the body to release glucocorticoids, which puts the body in a state of stress. Glucocorticoids tell the body to break down muscle and preserve fat, a response to a dangerous environment in ancient times. The purpose of preserving fat is to save energy and help long-term survival, but this stress response runs counter to many people’s goal of getting fit. Stress, or the stress response, is arguably the number one natural enemy of staying in shape.

2. Lead to overeating

Another human response to stress is to eat more. The mechanism is similar to women’s increased appetite (especially for sweets) during the premenstrual period. Eating is one of the best ways to relieve stress. Poor sleep, increased stress and overeating The same purpose as mentioned above is to conserve energy and stay alive. Of course, this is exactly the opposite of the purpose of weight loss. A lot of people don’t eat well. It’s not your fault. Try to improve your sleep and relieve stress.

3. It affects training

Sometimes after a good night’s sleep, you feel so energized that you feel like you can conquer the world. But after a bad night’s sleep, you’ll be in such a bad mood that you’ll feel like the world is against you. Most of the time, because did not sleep well, the next day had planned to give up the training, even if to exercise, also not in the state, the effect is not good.

4. Slow recovery

About three times as much growth hormone is produced during sleep as during wakefulness. Growth hormone has two main effects: it promotes tissue repair and it burns fat. Whether you want to grow taller, look beautiful, or lose weight, growth hormone is your own, most effective natural tonic. As a direct consequence of poor sleep, the body recovers more slowly and burns less fat.

Sleep is so important to exercise, fitness and body shape, so what can you do to improve it? The following I combine some of their own experience to talk about a few points, not comprehensive, only for your reference.

1. The movement

Exercise not only helps relieve stress, but also causes physical fatigue. It is a natural sleeping pill. It doesn’t have to be intense or go to the gym. In many cases, even walking can have a good effect. There was a time when I was at home on vacation. Although I did exercise every day, I still couldn’t sleep well. As a result, I took my children to Disney for a day and walked a lot. Most of the time we don’t sleep well because we’re not exercising enough and we’re not tired enough.

2. Avoid strenuous exercise before bed

Exercise is best arranged during the day. If the reason for work or personal habits, schedule in the evening can also be, but it is best not to exercise intensely within two hours before bedtime, so as not to induce adrenaline secretion and make the brain too excited to sleep. Many of us have experienced the difficulty of falling asleep after watching a tough football game or a horror movie.

3. Avoid caffeinated drinks after 2 p.m

Drinking caffeinated beverages such as black coffee and tea before exercise can have a stimulating effect and help improve performance. But if caffeine is consumed too close to bedtime, many people’s sleep can be disrupted. Caffeine takes time to metabolize in the body, so if you’re sensitive to caffeine, try to avoid drinks that contain caffeine after 2 p.m.

4. Create a good sleep environment

Working at sunrise and resting at sunset is probably the healthiest schedule. Of course, in the modern world, few of us are able to sleep at sunset, but we can still create an environment conducive to sleep. Turning off the TV and dimming the lights an hour before bed can help induce sleep. I myself like to stretch or do yoga before bed to help relax the nerves and calm the mood. Whatever your method, you can create an environment conducive to sleep.

5. Turn off your phone

Cell phones may be one of the main reasons many people don’t sleep well. I myself used to read Weibo, chat in bed, imperceptibly, a play is half an hour. Then I decided to turn off my phone every night and not bring it into the bedroom. I not only went to bed half an hour earlier every day, but also avoided touching my phone and checking my moments of friends sometimes when I got up at night. If you sleep late or can’t sleep because of your phone, turn it off and try leaving it in another room.

What if you want to sleep, but you can’t?

I used to travel a lot, fly around time zones, have jet lag, can’t sleep. The more you want to sleep, the more you can’t sleep. The following three methods usually help me calm down and fall asleep.

1. Write a diary

Write down everything that’s on your mind, preferably on paper or on a computer. Writing is a very mentally taxing exercise. Don’t care about your writing level, this is not for others to see, the main purpose is to the mind running thoughts all downloaded to the paper, empty yourself. When the brain is focused on writing, it tends to quiet itself, which helps it fall asleep.

2. Visualize happiness

Happy and beautiful scenes help relieve anxiety and calm the mind. I myself often imagine the sea, the blue sky, the green space, etc. When I was a child, the small bridge in my hometown, the scene of peach blossom and willow green let me feel relaxed and happy.

3. Appreciate others

When I can’t sleep, I often think of the people who have helped me or influenced me since childhood, and enumerate in my mind the good and helpful things they have done for me, from parents, teachers, colleagues, to my own children. Often I have not listed my head teacher in junior high school, I have fallen asleep.

Of course, these are just some of my own experiences. Everyone’s situation is different, according to your own situation, find the reason for poor sleep, to improve.

While many people blindly buy enzymes, collagen and other so-called “supplements”, don’t forget that sleep is a natural tonic that everyone can have for free. Wish you sleep more beauty sleep, sleep out of a good figure.