How Sleeping Can Help You Build Muscle

How Sleeping Can Help You Build Muscle As you sleep, the pituitary gland releases hormones, which helps produce insulin-like growth factor—for muscle repair. This rebuilding process enables you to run faster and longer, lift heavier, jump higher, and look and feel great. Here are five tricks to maximize the process to boost your strength, endurance, and reaction time. Your muscles can't grow stronger if you're not getting enough sleep. Aim to be in bed for eight hours each night. To get quality sleep: Turn off electronics before bed; keep your bedroom cool and dark; and go to bed around the same time. Alcohol reduces sleep quality, which may be why it interferes with growth hormone production. If you eat protein before you go to sleep, your body will have adequate amino acids for your muscles to use for repair work. There's evidence that strength training can reduce or even halt the muscle- shrinking effects of not enough sleep.