What the experts say about exercising when you’re tired

It’s the end of another long day at the office after a sleepless night. As usual, he’s exhausted, but he wants to stop at the gym on the way home to exercise.

Should you exercise when you sleep poorly?

This issue is a widespread problem, for example, consider it one in three Americans Sleep deprived, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It’s definitely a two-way relationship, not one or the other,” said Phyllis Zee, MD, director of the Center for Sleep and Internal Medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago.

“First, there is clear data showing that regular exercise improves sleep quality—moderate exercise in the morning, afternoon, or early evening can improve deeper sleep,” Zee said.

Deep sleep is the recovery phase where your body regenerates. It’s “slow wave” sleep. [no eletroencefalograma[, que só pode ser alcançado se a qualidade de sono for boa, com poucas ou nenhumas interrupções noturnas.

“A investigação também mostra que se dormir melhor é mais provável que consiga fazer exercício e os seus níveis de atividade física também serão mais elevados”, observou Zee.

“Por isso, diria que mesmo que tenha tido uma má noite de sono deve manter a sua atividade física.”

Necessidade de sono de qualidade

Para ser saudável, o corpo precisa de passar por quatro fases de sono várias vezes por noite. Durante a primeira e segunda fases, o corpo começa a diminuir os seus ritmos. Ao fazê-lo, prepara-se para a terceira fase – um sono profundo e de ondas lentas onde o corpo se está literalmente a restaurar a nível celular, reparando os danos causados pelo desgaste do dia e consolidando as memórias a longo prazo.

O sono REM [rapid eye movements ou, em português, movimentos oculares rápidos] It is the last stage we dream about. Studies have shown that a lack of REM sleep can lead to poor memory and poor cognitive outcomes, as well as heart disease, other chronic diseases, and premature death.

On the other hand, years of research have found that sleep, especially deep, restorative sleep, is increased immune function.

Since each sleep cycle is about 90 minutes long, most adults need it At least seven hours of sleep A relatively uninterrupted time to get rejuvenating and healthy sleep, according to the CDC. Poor sleep, along with irregular sleep periods, has been linked to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease, dementia, and mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.

Be careful of injuries

A night of poor sleep shouldn’t affect your training routine, but chronic deprivation leading to days of exhaustion is another matter, experts say.

It may not be wise to go to the gym or exercise when you can barely put one foot in front of the other, said sleep expert Raj Dasgupta, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.

“Without sleep, your muscles can’t recover from the stress you put them through during training. And it doesn’t do you much good to keep pushing your muscles without giving them time to recover and get stronger,” Dasgupta explained.

He also warned that you’re more susceptible when you’re stressed, due to the slower reaction times of a brain that’s tired but functioning to make decisions during training or exercise.

“Lack of sleep can also affect your motivation to exercise. You can dread regular workouts and hate every minute in the gym, which is not good for long-term adherence to a fitness plan,” Dasgupta warned.

He stressed that sleep deprivation can lead you to make poor food choices, which affects your fitness and performance.

Use common sense

So not only is it a good idea to exercise when you’re really tired, but you’ll sleep better too if you do. what is the answer?

Zi said: Use common sense. “If you’re not sleeping well, don’t do this intense exercise. You could go for a walk or do yoga instead, but maintain an exercise or physical activity regimen at the usual time of day that you normally do.”

If you’re pressed for time, consider doing small exercises throughout the day.

“Everything matters,” Dasgupta said. “Do what makes you feel happy and refreshed. It’s about pressing a button. Reset to yourself, and not to do any form of exercise because you feel obligated to do so.”