Why Your Workout From Home Still Requires Good Rest

Working out at home is one of the best things ever. You can work out at your own pace and time without anyone else judging you, you can get as sweaty as you would like without others watching, and you can do it whenever you want. However, people are quick to think working out at home does not count as a “normal” or “typical” workout, so they do not treat it like any other work out you would do. Just like hitting the gym, going to the track, or playing on the field, you need quality sleep for your at-home workouts, and below are reasons why.

Restore Energy

In order to have the ability to exercise, your body relies on glycogen stored in your muscles. Glycogen gives you energy, and without it, you will start to feel fatigued exceptionally quickly. Sleeping, along with eating balanced meals, helps this glycogen restore itself, giving you the ability to work out multiple days in a row.

Also, sleeping gives your muscles the chance to rest. You use different muscles all throughout the day to perform simple activities that you might not think about very often, such as walking, lifting things, going up and down stairs, and other day to day tasks that seem effortless. If you go days without a good night of sleep, you may realize that these easy tasks are not so easy anymore, and that is because you are not giving your body the chance to rest and restore its ability.

Sleep and Exercise Benefit Each Other

Sleeping and working out have a relatively direct correlation with each other. If you feel like your exercises are not working anymore, take a quick look at your sleeping pattern. If you realize that you have not had the chance to sleep more than 3 hours a night for the last three weeks, that most likely is what is affecting your work out routine. If your job or work schedule is the culprit for stealing your sleeping time, try rearranging your daily schedule so you can fit in the time to sleep. If you can’t seem to fall asleep due to being uncomfortable, buy the perfect mattress for better sleep.

On the other hand, working out benefits your sleeping pattern the same way sleeping helps your exercise ability. Studies have shown that daily exercise helps you fall asleep faster and stay asleep for longer, all while leaving you well-rested by the time you wake up the next morning. Working out also relieves stress, which can leave you staying awake through all of the hours of the night. Working out increases the duration of time you are in a deep sleep. Reaching deep sleep supports cardiac health, helps your immune system, and controls anxiety. Sleeping and exercising benefit each other and you in numerous ways, no matter where you choose to burn those calories.

Altered Coordination on Lack of Sleep

Not sleeping for long periods of time or not getting enough sleep over an amount of time can lead to poor judgment and slow thinking. If you are working out at home, it is especially important to get enough sleep for this very reason. 

Imagine it this way: if you are working out at home, and no one else is there with you, you start to realize you have not gotten a healthy amount of sleep in a few days. Your mind is all foggy, and you are not thinking as clearly as you usually do; everyone has felt this feeling before in one way or another, and it is not fun. Suddenly, the 50 lb weight you thought you were holding or had a good grip on falls and lands on your foot. If you are by yourself, no one is there to help you, so you have to think and act quickly to get yourself medical help, all while still only having a few hours of sleep.

That is, of course, a worst-case scenario; however, it is still very possible. Sleeping helps your brain stay awake and aware, and without an alive mind, working out can be very dangerous, especially when working out at home by yourself. 

Growth Hormones Come From Sleeping

Getting enough quality sleep helps your body produce growth hormones. These growth hormones are what make children and adolescents grow, and, for adults, they help build lean muscle and repair your body, making these growth hormones necessary for athletic recovery, allowing you to continue to push yourself.

Motivation

If you are continuously exhausted, working out may seem like a chore instead of something that you want to do to better yourself. Sleeping more gives you the motivation to stick to your work out plan and genuinely complete it. This is especially helpful to those that work out at home because it can be hard to get yourself off of your couch and to those weights or yoga mats since they are just right around the corner. Sleeping more will give you that little push you need to burn those few extra calories.

Conclusion

Rest is one of the most overlooked essentials when it comes to working out.  Most of us have the mindset that we need to work harder to make those gains. But think about going an entire day without sleeping.  Your mind and your body are fried the next day. The same concept holds true with working out. If you don’t rest your muscles, they can’t recuperate.  You need to let them rest so that they are ready to go when it’s time for your next work out. So, don’t be afraid to take a rest, your body will thank you, and you will see much bigger gains.