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Can you sleep after exercising? This is the explanation

Pay attention to this if you sleep after exercise

By Faizal Haris LubisPublished 7 months ago 3 min read
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Can you sleep after exercising? This is the explanation
Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash

Can I sleep straight after exercising?

Rest after exercise, including sleep, can be adjusted to your body condition and depends on the type of exercise you are doing.

Endurance athletes such as marathon runners require more sleep than the average person due to the release of cytokine hormones during their activities.

Cytokines will signal the body time to rest after intense cardio exercise.

So, listen to your body carefully, whether it needs sleep or not. Taking a short break after exercise is definitely important.

What is the best sleep interval after exercise?

There is no recommendation regarding when is the best time to sleep after training. The rest period depends on other activities after the exercise you do.

After exercising, you will definitely rest yourself. If at that time, you are really tired, try drinking water.

Then, clean your body of sweat and dirt, then go to bed after exercising.

It's not uncommon for some of you to eat immediately after exercising. If this is what you do, it's best to postpone not consuming anything after training.

The recommendation is that you can sleep for 2-3 hours after eating a large meal so that the food can be digested properly.

Sleepiness after exercise indicates overtraining

Feeling tired and sleepy after exercise is normal.

However, extreme fatigue and sleepiness can indicate that you are exercising too much, or maybe overtraining.

Overtraining can also be characterized by constant fatigue and difficulty focusing the next day.

Not infrequently excessive exercise also reduces sleep quality. Instead of feeling fresh and fit in the morning, you feel your body's energy is drained.

You should take the day off from training, or at least reduce the duration and intensity of exercise if you often feel very sleepy after exercise.

However, excessive exercise can have a bad impact on physical fitness.

Effects of sleep after exercise

There is no scientific research that specifically discusses the direct influence of sleep after physical exercise.

However, one thing is certain that rest and relaxation are a must after exercising. Eating to restore energy also needs to be done.

If you are sleepy after exercising, there's no harm in taking a nap. What's more, sleeping after exercise provides the following positive effects.

Temporarily reduces fatigue.

Improves memory and alertness.

Supports muscle tissue repair, builds muscle, and prepares for the next workout.

Taking a nap right after exercising also has risks to the body. Even so, this effect is not too dangerous.

Napping can make a person feel groggy and confused after waking up. This phenomenon is known as sleep inertia.

Experts believe that sleep inertia can occur due to disruption of the sleep cycle and awakening during deep sleep.

Napping can also reduce the quality of sleep at night. Taking too many naps is associated with poor sleep quality at night

This could happen if you take a nap because you're tired of exercising.

Focus

Pay attention to this if you sleep after exercise

According to the Sleep Foundation website, pay attention to the following things if you want to sleep after training.

Sleep for a short duration of around 20 minutes so that you don't have trouble sleeping at night.

If after exercise, it's after 3 in the afternoon, you should not sleep. Just relax your body because sleeping in the afternoon can make it difficult for you to sleep at night.

Find a resting place that is dimly lit and quiet.

If you experience sleep inertia, try washing your face or adapting yourself to a room with optimal lighting.

Consider drinking coffee if you are still sleepy. However, make sure the time is not in the afternoon.

So, sleeping or not after physical exercise can be adjusted to each individual's needs.

However, with some considerations and following the rules so that sleeping after training does not have a negative impact on the body

self carehealthfitnessbodyathletics
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About the Creator

Faizal Haris Lubis

im unemployed for now.

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