The importance of rest in your recovery

Recovery is a critical component of being active. We show up and grind, making time for conditioning and lifting to balance cardiovascular and muscular health, and then skip recovery. But without recovery, our body can’t function at its highest level and it is so much harder to hit PRs and stay healthy. One crucial aspect of recovery that is often overlooked is sleep.

Sleep is an essential process for physiological and psychological health. It is the primary time our body and brain focus on recovery. Sleep can be divided into several stages:

·         N1: Light sleep. Muscles relax and brain waves start to slow

·         N2: Light sleep. Breathing and heart rate slow

·         N3: Transition between light and deep sleep

·         N4: Deep sleep. Physical repair and recovery

·         REM: Dreaming sleep. Brain repair and memory consolidation.

While light sleep helps the body and brain slow down, deep sleep is where physical healing takes place. Deep sleep:

·         Releases growth hormone

·         Lowers cortisol levels

·         Promotes endogenous pain reliever production

·         Raises the pain threshold

When we exercise, we cause microtears in muscles so they remodel stronger. When we lack deep sleep, not enough growth hormone is released to balance cortisol and remodel microtears into stronger tissue. Lower endogenous pain relievers also mean that we are more sensitive to pain. Over time, lack of deep sleep can lead to more pain and overuse injuries.

REM sleep may not directly affect physiological tissue as much as deep sleep, but it is still important for physical recovery. REM sleep:

·         Repairs the brain

·         Improves learning capabilities

·         Consolidates memories

·         Maintains energy and mood

Lack of REM sleep negatively impacts learning, memory, mood and focus and can leave you fatigued, making it harder to have the motivation to complete regular workouts or adhere to a physical therapy program. When you are sleeping deeply enough to hit REM, you are more likely to feel refreshed and energized to tackle challenges, including setbacks from pain or injury.

Experts recommend between 7-9 hours of sleep per night. But it’s not just about sleep quantity. Sleep quality, or how well you sleep, determines how likely you are to reach the deeper stages of sleep, like N4 and REM. Here are some quick tips to enhance your sleep quality.

·         Stick to a consistent sleep schedule for when you go to bed and wake up each day

·         Keep your room cool and dark

·         Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day

·         Switch to decaffeinated afternoon beverages

·         Make your bedroom relaxing and move work to other areas of the home

·         Eat an early dinner and limit large, heavy meals within three hours of sleep 

·         Create a wind down routine with activities that are relaxing and encourage rest

·         Limit bright light and blue light exposure within several hours of going to sleep

·         Avoid electronics and bright light within 60 minutes of going to sleep

Sleep isn’t the only way to boost your recovery. At FIXXED, we offer a range of recovery services, including dry needling, cupping, assisted stretching and compression therapy to help keep you refreshed and feeling your best. Interested in how you can recover better? Book your first visit today!