Everyone knows that maintaining a regular exercise routine is the right thing to do. But sometimes, you have insomnia and feel like you don't have enough energy to wake up and go to the gym the following day. In such a situation, which would you prioritize: still waking up early to exercise as usual or skipping the workout and allowing yourself to rest for a day?
The answer to this depends on two factors: the quality of your recent sleep and the health effects you may be experiencing. Based on that, you can make the best decision for yourself.
Taking a day off is the best thing you can do right now.
Because when you don't get enough sleep, you may experience some of the following conditions.
Increased risk of injury. Slower reactions, impaired thinking and judgment by fatigue, obviously make you more susceptible to injury.
Weakened immune system. Cortisol levels go up on nights when you don't get a good night's sleep - causing more cells to die and causing the immune system to attack the body's own tissues instead of attacking the virus.
Training performance is not high. Even one sleepless night can affect exercise. Insomnia increases pain sensitivity, making it harder to even exercise at a lower intensity than usual.
But if you still want to go to the gym, consider whether the quality of your sleep has a lot to do with your fitness.
You sleep less than 6 hours (but still feel energetic enough to exercise)? You can balance exercise and sleep on your own. Suppose your insomnia or lack of sleep only lasts for 1-2 nights (when you usually sleep well). In that case, you can generally exercise for up to 30 minutes and make up for it the next night. Or you can go to bed 15 minutes early and "cheat" 15 minutes in the morning for sleep.
One little note: don't do high-intensity, endurance exercises or even heavy lifting. Jogging or walking on the machine, light weight training or just 30 minutes of gentle yoga is enough.
Do you have sleepless nights and/or sleepless nights in a row? The advice for you is to stay at home and get enough rest to recuperate. Insomnia increases the risk of injury and affects the body's ability to repair itself. Besides, it also increases cortisol levels making the immune system vulnerable to any viruses around.
Do you exercise almost all week? If you go to the gym 4-7 days a week but today feel very tired because of insomnia, it is time to rest and regain strength. A day of rest can significantly improve muscle strength, as your growth hormone (GH) levels are at their highest when you sleep. Exercising too hard without listening to your body will not affect gaining muscle or losing fat.
The functioning of the organs in the body will be impaired when you lack sleep. And unfortunately, in this case, exercise> won't improve that.
And finally, always listen to your body.
Suppose you persist in exercising in a state of fatigue due to lack of sleep. In that case, your training session will be challenging to achieve, and the risk of disease due to reduced immunity will also increase. Take a day off to rest and recharge. In addition, you also need to find out the cause of your insomnia (mostly lying on the bed). mattress that's not suitable!)
After all, exercise or rest has only one purpose: giving you a healthier life. Slow down a bit and listen to your body. Sometimes, being “lazy” is also a way to love yourself!
