Sleep and Muscle Recovery: The Invisible Basis of Strength 🛌

Many people see training as the cornerstone of developing muscle strength. However, there is an essential and often forgotten part: sleep. It is during rest that the critical processes of muscle repair, regeneration and growth take place. Without good quality sleep, the effects of training are severely compromised - both for athletes and for those training for health and longevity.

What happens to muscles during sleep?

During deep sleep, growth hormone is released, which stimulates protein synthesis and the repair of muscle tissue “damaged” during training. Sleep also regulates:

• The production of testosterone and other anabolic hormones.

• The inflammatory response, essential for muscle regeneration.

• Energy balance and appetite, facilitating the action of hormones such as leptin and ghrelin.

Sleeping poorly or less than necessary reduces the production of growth hormone, increasing levels of cortisol, a catabolic hormone that favors the loss of muscle mass (Dattilo et al., 2011).

Sleep's impact on strength

Studies of athletes and physically active adults show that sleep restriction directly affects physical performance and muscle strength. For example:

• Knowles et al. (2018) showed that a single night of restricted sleep (4 hours) significantly reduced lower limb strength in endurance athletes.

• Reilly & Piercy (1994) observed worse reaction times, handgrip strength and vertical jump after sleep deprivation.

• Roberts et al. (2019) stated that people who sleep less than 6 hours a night have a higher risk of losing lean muscle mass over time, even with proper diet and training.

Sleep, hypertrophy and performance

For strength training to have its optimal expression and maximum effect, the training-nutrition-recovery triad must be respected. Sleep is at the heart of this process! This is how it must be considered:

• Without adequate sleep, there is less protein synthesis.

• With poor quality sleep, there is a risk of overtraining, greater late muscle soreness and risk of injury.

• Poor sleep hinders motivation to train.

• Poor quality and quantity of sleep increases cardiometabolic risk.

We share with you some tips for improving recovery through sleep:

• Sleep between 7 and 9 hours a night (adults); athletes may need 10 hours;

• Avoid intense workouts close to bedtime (these can be associated with greater difficulty in falling asleep);

• Maintain a dark and quiet environment, with temperatures between 18 and 21°C;

• Avoid caffeine and alcohol in the 12 to 14 hours before bedtime;

• Establish a pre-sleep relaxation routine (e.g. meditation, physical and cognitive relaxation techniques);

• Don't underestimate power naps of 20 to 30 minutes as a recovery resource, but don't overdo it.

Gaining muscle strength doesn't just depend on the quality of your training or your diet. Sleep is one of the most important - and often overlooked - elements of this process. Sleep directly affects metabolism, hormonal balance, tissue regeneration and even motivation to train. So if you want to get the most out of your training, start treating sleep as a key part of the process and prioritize rest.

References

Dattilo, M., Antunes, H. K. M., Medeiros, A., Mônico-Neto, M., Souza, H. S., Tufik, S., & de Mello, M. T. (2011). Sleep and muscle recovery: Endocrinological and molecular basis for a new and promising hypothesis. Medical Hypotheses, 77(2), 220–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2011.04.017

Knowles, O. E., Drinkwater, E. J., Urwin, C. S., Lamon, S., & Aisbett, B. (2018). Inadequate sleep and muscle strength: Implications for resistance training. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 21(9), 959–968. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2018.02.005

Reilly, T., & Piercy, M. (1994). The effect of partial sleep deprivation on weight-lifting performance. Ergonomics, 37(1), 107–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139408963628

Roberts, S., Teo, W. P., Warmington, S. A., & Stokes, T. (2019). Short sleep duration impairs muscle protein synthesis following resistance exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 51(3), 508–515. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001833