Is sleep (or lack there of) getting in the way of my progress?

[arnold2benton]

@lilliandandy Sleep is absolutely essential to progress. Sleep is the primary way we recover from working out and build muscle and get stronger between workouts - if you don't get proper sleep, you truly cannot recover between workouts. In order for sleep to be a recovery agent, however, you need to be getting 7-8 hours of mostly uninterrupted sleep (waking once or twice is completely fine).

Sleep apnea however basically continually interrupts any sleep an individual gets. Each apnea throughout sleep wakes the person as the brain realizes you aren't breathing and wakes you to try and restart breathing. This basically makes it impossible for you to maintain healthy sleep as it takes time to go through a complete sleep cycle.

The CPAP will do wonders for you I am sure, and once you're getting proper sleep you will likely see much more in terms of fitness progress!

 

[lilliandandy]

@arnold2benton Thank you for this! It makes total sense and also hard to believe that despite doing everything else “right” - exercise, protein, healthy diet, etc etc - sleep really is a deciding factor in our body’s response.

 

[kerriep]

@lilliandandy I have been in a similar situation back when I was an athlete. During one part of my career, I had late classes, could sleep in, and pulled some of the best numbers in my college career. I could visibly see the changes as well. Conversely, when I had early classes and suffered from sleep especially during my exam periods, it was the exact opposite and felt much more groggy and less explosive.

Lack of sleep and sleep apnea can be associated with weight gain (or lack of weight loss), so definitely if you can get that under control if you can!

 

[tapselbor]

@lilliandandy I have found that nutrition and sleep are way more of the battle than expected. Sleep may be an issue getting in the way of your progress. I basically stopped working out until I fixed my sleep schedule. Are you eating enough protein? That would be my other first guess.

 

[lilliandandy]

@tapselbor Thank you! Yes, I definitely aim for 30-40g protein per meal + snacks, so aligned with all general recommendations. Here’s to hoping improved sleep will mean improved progress!

 

[christian2011]

@lilliandandy Are you increasing volume/challenge? That could be another issue. It can be hard with dumbbells, but there are ways around it!