How lack of sleep affects workout performance

Author: Mikhail Ziborov - author of the site makefitness.pro.
2020-11-13

What are the harms of sleep deprivation

It's obvious:
- the brain cannot process and systematize all the accumulated information;
- the nervous system does not get enough rest;
- all internal organs, muscles, bones, and more do not renew sufficiently (due to reduced sleep time);
- the synthesis and interaction of hormones is disrupted (for example, during awakening, when melatonin is still active, but you are already up and forcing your body to produce cortisol);
- circadian rhythms are disrupted;
- you quickly push yourself into overtraining.

In general, it causes quite a few problems, not to mention the fatigue from lack of sleep.

Interesting fact! Napoleon believed that sleep was unnecessary. He thought that if he could overcome it and endure for some time, the desire to sleep would pass completely, and he could be awake 24 hours a day. And to set an example for his soldiers, Napoleon stopped going to bed. He flooded himself with coffee, didn’t sit down or lie down. He lasted 4 days before giving in, falling asleep, and sleeping for a whole day. Upon awakening, he acknowledged that sleep is an important component for a person.

What sleep deprivation leads to in athletes/training individuals.

1. Sleep deprivation leads to a drop in strength performance. Researchers studied athletes who were sleep-deprived by 3 hours for 3 consecutive days (the other 4 days they slept normally). During the period of insufficient sleep, athletes showed a decrease in performance in strength exercises:
- bicep curls with a barbell;
- bench press;
- leg press;
- deadlift.

Interestingly, the drop in strength performance was not uniform. For bicep curls, the decrease was negligible. However, in all three other exercises, the reduction in performance was significant. I want to emphasize that in the isolated exercise (on the biceps), the strength indicators decreased, but slightly. However, in basic exercises, the indicators dropped considerably. The reason for this tendency is unclear.

By the way, the greatest drop in strength was observed on the second day of sleep deprivation, rather than immediately on the first. For more details, see the study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8112265/

In this study (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30626222/), three hours of sleep deprivation over two days resulted in a decrease in strength performance in the bench press by more than 11% (if you can bench 100 kg for one rep, after two nights of sleep deprivation, you would only be able to bench 89 kg for one rep).

HOWEVER! The deficiency of sleep and the drop in strength performance can be somewhat corrected by taking a daytime nap of at least one hour (before training). This is also noted in the research.

2. Lack of sleep increases the risk of injury and illness. It turns out that training with insufficient sleep increases our risk of injury. Additionally, immunity weakens, increasing the likelihood of getting sick.

Details: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28287684/

3. Sleep deprivation increases appetite and weight gain. The less we sleep, the more time we have to eat. Additionally, sleep deprivation increases the production of the hunger hormone ghrelin, while the synthesis of the satiety hormone leptin decreases. Some may exclaim, “But that’s great for gaining mass!”

Not quite! As we found out in point 1, strength decreases due to lack of sleep. In other words, we’re not performing enough in our workouts. However, hunger increases, and we eat more. This means we will gain not as much muscle (and consequently strength and endurance), but fat. Simply put, extra weight increases due to sleep deprivation, not muscle!

To GAIN MUSCLE, NOT FAT, make use of our:
- training programs;
- balanced nutrition plans.

4. Short naps diminish muscle gain and reduce recovery. This is due to the reduced action time of growth hormone (somatotropin or GH). This hormone is responsible for building new structural elements. A decrease in its influence (action time, i.e., sleep) leads to poor recovery.

Moreover, being awake means catabolic processes prevail over anabolic ones, i.e., destruction over recovery and growth. Conversely, during sleep, anabolism dominates catabolism.

In simpler terms, the more you stay on your feet, the more you destroy yourself.

The best tips for gaining mass can be found at this link: https://makefitness.pro/category/nabor_massi/

5. Sleep deprivation reduces your cognitive abilities. Primarily, it affects neurons—the brain and nervous system cells. And as we remember, muscle contraction depends on the nervous system’s ability to transmit nerve impulses from the brain to the muscles.

With sleep deprivation, neurons interact worse with each other, which leads to a decrease in cognitive abilities—attention, memory, concentration, speed of thought, and reaction. Details: https://cmtscience.ru/article/ot-nedosypa-nejrony-stanovjatsja-sonnymi

How to eliminate sleep deprivation

The simplest and most obvious way is to start sleeping longer! But I understand the question “How to get rid of sleep deprivation” arises not from ignorance of how to do it, but from the inability to sleep as much as you want and your body needs.

Therefore, the second method becomes relevant—improving not the duration of sleep but the quality and depth of sleep! By sleeping more soundly and deeply, the recovery processes in your body will proceed more effectively. In other words, you will start to feel well-rested in a shorter amount of sleep (recovering, recharging your energy, getting rid of dark circles under your eyes, etc.). How to achieve this?

Supplements can help improve your sleep! These include:
- 5-HTP;
- melatonin;
- GABA or Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid;
- glycine;
- or even entire sleep complexes (Sleep Complex).

You can find all these supplements, learn about their safety and dosages, as well as their features and functions, HERE!