A cozy bedroom sets the perfect ‘sleeping’ mood. *Picture from Pinterest*

Sleeping is one of my favorite hobbies.

Well it might not be a hobby as much as a vital part of each day, but gosh I love it. You may call me an old lady but my body needs a minimum of 8 hours of sleep each night to properly function during the day. I’m not even close to kidding when I say that. If I get less than a solid 8 hours, I feel like the entire day is a struggle. Lots of things suffer when I don’t sleep enough or sleep well; things like my workouts, appetites, concentration and mood. A solid night’s rest has been linked to so many positive factors that you literally cannot argue with how important it is. Below I am sharing two big reasons that I’ve changed my sleep habits over the past year and have stuck to a good old-fashioned bedtime!

Minimal Sleep = Minimal Energy

The easiest thing for most people to skip when they’re tired is their workout. Hitting snooze is so much easier, and cozier, than hopping out of bed to get your sweat on. When you don’t get enough rest overnight, you’re body is groggy and doesn’t function at its optimal potential. For me personally, when I don’t get a full 8 hours my runs feel tougher, my muscles don’t seem to react as quickly and my mind wanders aimlessly during my workouts. Decreased energy levels are a bad thing in themselves but when I know that I can nearly guarantee a pep in my step by getting good sleep, it makes no sense why I wouldn’t. I totally understand that lives are crazy busy and it’s easy to get caught up binge-watching Netflix until well after midnight or you get stuck in a barrage of emails that seem to be never-ending, causing your mind to move in a million directions once you actually crawl into bed. All of those things effect me too but once I prioritized sleep in my life, there has been a major change in my demeanor and my workouts. When I’m well-rested, I can give it my all at OrangeTheory or shed a few seconds off my mile pace. I feel so much more energized after a strong workout and getting into that gym or onto that pavement is made possible by sleep.

Your muscles recover while you sleep.

It is said that your body can build muscle twice/day: after your workout and while you sleep. I need all the help I can get on the muscle-building front so I’ve been sure to prioritize sleep the same way I prioritize getting my workout in. I’m no doctor or medical expert but I’ve done a lot of reading on muscle recovery overnight and there are so many statistics and facts that point towards how a good night sleep positively impacts muscle mass and growth. Plus it’s kind of easy, and free, to sleep so if it’s going to make me look better, feel better and perform better, it sure as heck is a theory worth testing out. There have been many times where my legs feel heavy or I’ve got some lingering soreness or pain but when I wake up well-rested, I feel tremendously better. So I’ll drink that kool aid.

So last night I definitely didn’t get my needed amount of sleep. That dang election was giving me anxiety! Because of my lack of sleep I felt sluggish at OrangeTheory this morning. Not a great combination! I am super happy that I went to class even though I was tired because it has already increased my alertness. Not every night are you going to get an awesome night’s rest and some days you just have to push through the tiredness, but the more you practice good nighttime habits the easier they get. Maybe you won’t end up going to bed around 9:30pm every night like me–but I’ll keep that bedtime because it is glorious! 😉