“If I have to choose, do I choose sleep or exercise?”
If you are not getting the amount of sleep you need for the night, it is unhelpful to regularly fatigue yourself even more by exercising. Choose sleep! (If you had a good night sleep, don’t use this as an excuse to skip your exercise.)
Sleeplessness affects reaction time and decision making. Quality sleep improves our attention and our ability to learn. Great sleep makes it easier to lose body fat. Our immune system is directly impacted by sleep and getting sick will drastically reduce your capacity to exercise.
Research shows us that an inflammatory marker (C-reactive protein) is significantly elevated for those who chronically do not get enough quality sleep. ????Systemic inflammation raises our risk for many diseases, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. No thank you!
Question: I’m trying to lose weight- shouldn’t I always choose exercise?
Answer: Not necessarily! Researchers at the University of Chicago studied sleep and weight loss. They found that while both groups lost similar amounts of weight, those who were well rested lost more stored fat (56% of their weight loss) than those who were sleep deprived, who lost a greater percentage of muscle mass. Notably, when sleeping less, participants felt more hungry. When I sleep terribly, I typically feel hungrier too. ????????
Exercise can help to significantly improve sleep, so it is crucial that we don’t skip it for longer than absolutely necessary.
Exercise regularly and sleep well my friends! ????????
Monique