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The Sleep Factor in Muscle Building
 When we deprive ourselves of
sleep, there is a delicate cycle that we disrupt.
Sleep phases:
Phase One: Phase one begins as soon as the sun sets, when the pineal
gland starts to release melatonin, a
hormone released in the absence of light
and responsible for making us sleepy. When you lay down in your bed at this
time, your muscles relax, heart rate and
breathing slow down, and body
temperature drops. The brain also relaxes but still remains alert. If you could
look at the wave patterns being generated by the brain, you would see a change
from the rapid beta waves of daytime to slower alpha waves. When the alpha waves
disappear, replaced by theta waves, the sleeper has tumbled into the sensory
void called stage one sleep. In this stage, the sleeper is unable to sense
anything.
Phase two: Phase two occurs a moment after phase one and in this stage
the sleeper lays still for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Phase Three: After phase two is over, the sleeper falls into a deeper
sleep. During this stage, the sleeper falls deeper into phase three which lasts
about 5 to 15 minutes.
 Phase Four: With a maximum of 15 minutes spent within the phase three
cycle, the sleeper then falls into yet another relaxed stage called phase four,
lasting a half hour or so. In stage four, the eyes move back and forth very
quickly in what's called rapid
eye movement, or REM. This is the point at which
the first dream occurs. After this dream has ended, the sleeper goes back to
phase two and starts the whole process over again. These processes repeat
themselves about five times during the night.
Sleep research indicates that the average sleeper will sleep approximately eight
hours and fifteen minutes when uninterrupted. During this research, there were
no alarm clocks or disturbing noises to interrupt normal sleep patterns. Eight
hours and fifteen minutes is believed to be the ideal physiological amount of
time that the body requires for proper sleep time.
Maladies caused by Sleep Deprivation
The following are the maladies that according to research can be the result of
consistent sleep deprivation:
Impaired glucose tolerance: Without sleep, the central nervous system
becomes more active, inhibiting the pancreas from producing adequate insulin,
the hormone the body needs to digest, glucose. "In healthy young men with no
risk factor, in one week, we had them in a pre-diabetic state," says researchers
Van Cauter when referring to a study that he conducted on the effects of sleep
deprivation.
 Possible link to obesity: This is due to the fact that much of people's
growth hormone is secreted during the first round of deep sleep. As both men and
women age, they naturally spend less time in deep sleep, which reduces
growth
hormone secretion. Lack of sleep at a younger age, however, could drive down
growth hormone prematurely, accelerating the fat-gaining process. In addition,
there is also research that indicates a lowering of the hormone testosterone as
well as fat gain and
muscle loss.
Increased carbohydrate cravings: Sleep deprivation negatively affects
the production of a hormone called Leptin. This hormone is responsible for
telling the body when it is full. However, with decreased production of this
hormone, your body will crave calories (especially in the form of
carbs) even
though its requirements have been met. Not a good situation to be in for a
dieter.
Weakened immune system: Research indicates that sleep deprivation
adversely affects the white blood cell count in humans as well as the body's
ability to fight infections.
Increased risk of breast cancer: Richard Stevens, a cancer researcher
at the University of Connecticut Health Center, has speculated that there might
be a connection between breast cancer and hormone cycles disrupted by late-night
light. Melatonin, primarily secreted at night, may trigger a reduction in the
body's production of eatrogen. But light interferes with melatonin release
(recall that the hormone is secreted in response to a lack of light), allowing
estrogen levels to rise. Too much estrogen is known to promote the growth of
breast cancers.
Decreased alertness and ability to focus: A recent study showed that
people who were awake for blood-alcohol level of .08 percent – legally drunk in
some states.
Hardening of the arteries: Some studies suggest that the stress imposed
on the body due to lack of sleep causes a
 very sharp rise in cortisol levels.
Such an imbalance can lead to hardening of the arteries, increasing the risk of
heart attacks. In addition, we also know that very high cortisol levels lead to
muscle loss, increased
fat storage, loss of
bone mass,
depression,
hypertension,
insulin resistance (the cells in the body lose the ability to accept insulin),
and lower growth hormone and testosterone production.
Depression and irritability: Lack of sleep also causes depletion of
neurotransmitters in the brain that are in charge of regulating mood. Because of
this, sleep deprived people have a "shorter fuse" and also tend to get depressed
more easily.
CONCLUSION
You need 7-9 hours of sleep each night (8 being the ideal) in order for your
body to run efficiently. Deprive your body of sleep and you'll have lousy
fat
loss and hinder your body's ability to increase
lean muscle tone. Without enough
sleep the body stops producing anabolic hormones (muscle producing/fat burning
hormones; e.g. testosterone and growth hormone) and starts increasing the
production of catabolic hormones (muscle destroying/fat depositing hormones;
e.g. cortisol). So, to make matters worst, you'll also lose muscle, which lowers
your metabolism. In addition, you will lack the energy and focus to get through
your workouts, which will surely lead to overtraining. To top it off, research
indicates that lack of sleep creates cravings and binges in addition to
hardening of the arteries, which leads to heart attacks.
In short,: turn off the TV, relax and hit the sack!
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