Muscles are made in the gym. Or is it more complicated than that?
We know that lifting weights increases muscle mass. We also know that nutrition plays a big part in either supporting or sabotaging muscle growth, but what about the role that sleep plays?
Experts recommend that the average person needs between 7 to 9 hours of rest each night, but getting enough sleep in the age of the internet is tough. Going to bed earlier may be harder to do than most people imagine.
It’s why almost half of us aren’t getting enough sleep each night.
Long-term sleep deprivation can have big implications for long-term health; it can increase a person’s risk of developing life-limiting or chronic illnesses as they age. We’ve all had that mental fog and experienced the sluggish physical state that comes from a poor night’s sleep, but you may be surprised to know that the amount of sleep you get also affects muscle growth. If you’re struggling to make gains, it’s worth looking at your sleeping strategy and trying to increase the amount of time you spend in bed.
This can feel counter-productive to anyone trying to maximise time in the gym but hear us out.
Why Sleep is Important for Muscle Growth
Our bodies and brain don’t just grind to a halt when we’re sleeping. Sleep is a restorative period where muscles can develop and any damage is repaired.
During sleep the brain increases blood flow to your muscles and releases the human growth hormone; it’s this hormone that grows the muscles worked on in the gym. Sleep is also a time where anti-inflammatories are released to aid in repair.
Sleep provides the body with an opportunity to build and repair. When a person doesn’t get enough sleep, this process is diminished and will affect overall muscle growth.
Muscle-growing hormones including testosterone are also released during sleep. The more sleep a person has the more muscle-growing hormones are released and utilised by the body. Less sleep means less opportunity for growth and can lead to a loss in protein.
It’s been shown that sleep deprivation means increased levels of cortisol – the stress hormone. Excess cortisol leads to protein breakdown: the exact opposite of what you want to happen when you’re trying to get bigger.
Poor sleep also means appetite hormones go askew. There’s a drop in the hormone that makes you feel full and an increase in the hormone that makes you feel hungry. This can affect a person’s ability to make sound nutritional decisions in support of physical fitness. If you’ve ever had a hangover and felt the need for salty or sugary snacks, you’ll recognise how our bodies can make it easier for us to sabotage progress.
Getting enough sleep is key to muscle growth and should factor as keenly as nutrition and weight volume in your training schedule.
You should also think about how a lack of sleep affects your performance and form during a gym session. Its easier to be distracted or to get sloppy when you haven’t had sufficient rest. This not only makes it harder for you to perform proficiently but it could also be dangerous.
Is 6 Hours Sleep Enough for Muscle Growth?
6 hours of decent sleep will mean some level of muscle growth. It’s also going to depend on what you’re doing in the gym and how you’re supporting your training with nutrition and lifestyle.
6 hours will get you some growth but aim for more to unlock a greater opportunity for muscle growth. Website Built with Science discussed the findings of a 2010 study where participants were split into 2 groups: those who had 5.5 hours of sleep per night and those who had 8.5 hours. Both groups were then put onto a calorie-restrictive diet for 2 weeks. The group averaging 5.5 hours sleep lost 60% more muscle mass and 55% less fat than the group achieving 8.5 hours of sleep each night.
6 hours of sleep won’t give you the best opportunity to increase muscle growth, and you may find that your progress is slower than others with higher quality and quantity of sleep each night.
Sleep could be what’s holding you back.
When we’re chasing our goals, it’s easy to forget that rest and restoration are key components to successful training. You might think that it’s okay to cut back on sleep just to get that extra workout in or to manage a busy schedule around your exercise regime, but you might be short-changing your progression.
6 hours sleep may be sufficient for some muscle growth but you may find your gains come more quickly by aiming for between 7 and 9 hours sleep each night. Most people average around 7.5 but experiment a little if you’re able and find the optimal sleeping pattern for you.
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FAQs
Having a good night's sleep before and after every workout will ensure you reap the benefits of all your effort. Is six hours of sleep enough to build muscle? Not really. If you struggle to achieve a solid seven hours of rest every night regularly, then it's probably time to prioritize your sleep.
Can I build muscle with 6 hours sleep? ›
Sleep Deprivation and Muscle Recovery
Your body will produce less protein than it otherwise would. That's why you need to sleep for at least 7 hours a night if you want your muscles to grow properly and quickly.
Is 6 hours of sleep enough if I workout? ›
Most sleep guidelines suggest that adults aged 18-64 aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night to maintain health and well-being. Given there is a strong link between health and performance, it seems feasible that adhering to this range is also likely to lead to the best long-term improvements in muscle growth.
How much sleep do bodybuilders get? ›
Oversleeping should be avoided. Oversleeping causes your body to become used to a different sleeping routine. To address the issue, having around 7-10 hours of sleep every night is sufficient for bodybuilding reasons. A deep sleep, on the other hand, should account for 40% of your total sleep time.
Is 6hrs of sleep enough? ›
While some people regularly function on short periods of sleep, research mostly agrees that six hours of sleep is not enough for most adults. Experts recommend that most adults need at least seven hours of sleep every night.
Can you build muscle on low sleep? ›
Acute sleep deprivation decreases muscle protein synthesis. One night of sleep deprivation significantly reduced postprandial skeletal muscle protein synthesis in a population of healthy young adults.
Do you lose muscle if you don't sleep? ›
Shrinking Sleep Time = Shrinking Muscles
It's not only that getting enough sleep helps muscles grow. Without adequate sleep muscle mass decreases. A study in 2011 examined how sleep deprivation affected muscle gains and recovery. 1 The study followed individuals who were on a strict sleep schedule for 72 hours.
Why do I feel better with 6 hours of sleep than 8? ›
So why do people think they are able to function optimally on 6 hours of regular sleep? This is because of a natural human phenomenon known as 'renorming'. Renorming means that we are only able to compare how we feel today to how we felt yesterday or the day before.
Is it better to sleep 6 or 7 hours? ›
Experts recommend adults get at least 7 hours of sleep per night for better health. Getting less than 7 hours of sleep can negatively affect your physical and mental health. Many people are not aware when their sleep is temporarily disrupted in the night.
Is it OK to skip a workout if you're tired? ›
Essentially, it's all down to your personal preference and your specific goals. Like many other things, sleep and exercise go hand in hand. However, it's also important to look at the extent of the tiredness that you're facing and whether this is something you feel you could overcome.
For example, if you're training multiple times a day and working long hours outside of the gym, then you may require more rest. Sleeping for 7-9 hours per night is crucial, especially if you are looking to change body composition, increase muscle mass, and be ready for your personal training session the next day.
Do naps count as sleep? ›
Even though a few hours of sleep at night and a nap during the day might add up to six or more hours total, she said, the health benefits don't add up in the same way. Short naps of less than 90 minutes typically only include the lighter phases of sleep, Dr.
Does sleeping late and waking up late affect muscle growth? ›
Your body produces hormones crucial for muscle growth and repair when you're asleep. This hormone helps rebuild damaged muscle tissue and stimulates the production of new muscle fibres. If you're not getting enough sleep, your muscles won't have the opportunity to recover correctly, and this will limit growth.
Can you live well on 6 hours of sleep? ›
There are some short sleepers who have been dealt a good genetic hand and can do perfectly well on around six hours of sleep. But the emphasis here is on 'some'. And if we're talking less than six hours, then the likelihood of it being healthy drops considerably.
What is the minimum hours of sleep? ›
School-age children (ages 6-13) need 9-11 hours a day. Teenagers (ages 14-17) need about 8-10 hours each day. Most adults need 7 to 9 hours, although some people may need as few as 6 hours or as many as 10 hours of sleep each day. Older adults (ages 65 and older) need 7-8 hours of sleep each day.
Can I survive on 4 hours of sleep? ›
You may be able to survive on four hours of sleep, but you probably won't be even close to thriving. In the short term, sleeping for four hours can lead to: Daytime sleepiness. Reduced mental performance (research from 2018 found getting four hours of sleep had the same effect on cognition as aging eight years)
Can I build muscle with 5 hours of sleep? ›
Yes, it is possible to gain muscle on 5-6 hours of sleep per night, but it is not optimal.
Is 7 hours of sleep enough to grow taller? ›
A few studies have found that sleeping more in childhood and adolescence is associated with growing taller, though there is not enough evidence to say whether sleeping more increases a person's adult height.
