Do you get enough sleep?

If not, you might be jeopardizing your health and your workouts at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville Sports Club.

Adequate sleep and weight loss go hand in hand. Getting enough shut-eye (along with a healthy, well-balanced diet and solid Pivotal Fitness Greenville Gym routine) plays a major role in weight loss management. In fact, research has shown that sleep deprivation can actually cause weight gain. Why?

Hormones.

Sleep induces different hormonal responses in your body.

Two hormones involved in appetite regulation include leptin and ghrelin. Leptin suppresses hunger, while ghrelin stimulates hunger. Sleep deprivation produces lower levels of leptin and increased levels of ghrelin, thus stimulating hunger. Adequate sleep has the opposite effect, increasing your levels of leptin and decreasing your levels of ghrelin, thus decreasing your appetite.

What’s more, when you’re enjoying some shut-eye, your pituitary gland secretes an increased amount of growth hormones – hormones that are responsible for stimulating cell regeneration, reproduction, and growth. These are the hormones involved in building muscle. Increased levels of growth hormones correlate to a higher metabolism. A higher metabolism means your body is better equipped to burn energy fast, thus promoting weight loss.

Lastly, adequate sleep (8 hours per night) reduces the cortisol levels in your blood. Sleep deprivation increases cortisol levels, really stunting your metabolism. Cortisol promotes the break down of proteins into glucose. If you have excess glucose in your body, it will get stored as fat and your body’s ability to build muscle will be compromised. Low cortisol is paramount for effective weight loss. So, a good night’s sleep truly does matter.

When you’re working out at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville Health Center, you are actually stressing your muscles. To balance this stress and allow your body to heal, it’s important to rest and recover. Sleep is where this healing process happens most effectively. If you don’t sleep enough, your performance at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville Athletic Club will surely suffer.

Sleep to support your workouts at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville Health Club.

Rest, recover, and grow stronger!