Your body can send clear signals when something’s off. Maybe your shoulders feel like concrete blocks, or you wake up feeling like you wrestled with your mattress all night. These aren’t just random aches and pains—they’re your body’s way of asking for help.

Massage therapy isn’t just a luxury reserved for spa days. It’s a proven method for reducing muscle tension, improving circulation, and boosting wellness. But how do you know when it’s time to book that appointment? Your body gives you plenty of hints if you know what to look for.

Your Shoulders Are Practically Living Near Your Ears

Stress has a sneaky way of creeping up on you. One day you’re handling everything fine, and the next, your shoulders somehow migrated north toward your earlobes. This tension doesn’t just appear overnight—it builds gradually until your neck and shoulder muscles feel like they’re locked in permanent clench mode.

Chronic shoulder tension often stems from poor posture, especially if you spend hours hunched over a computer. The muscles in your upper trapezius work overtime to support your head and neck. When they stay contracted for extended periods, they develop trigger points that can refer pain to your head, causing tension headaches.

Sleep Feels More Like a Wrestling Match

Quality sleep should leave you feeling refreshed and energized. If you’re tossing and turning all night, waking up with a stiff neck, or feeling like you need a vacation from your sleep, muscle tension might be the culprit.

Tight muscles prevent your body from fully relaxing during rest periods. Your nervous system stays partially activated, making it harder to reach the deep sleep stages where real recovery happens. Poor sleep quality creates a vicious cycle—lack of rest increases stress hormones, which further tighten your muscles.

Your Range of Motion Has Gone Missing

Remember when you could easily reach for something on a high shelf or turn your head to check your blind spot while driving? If simple movements now require planning and preparation, your muscles and fascia have likely become restricted.

Limited range of motion doesn’t happen overnight. It develops when muscles stay in shortened positions for too long, causing the surrounding connective tissue to adapt and tighten. This restriction affects your daily activities and increases your risk of injury during exercise or routine tasks.

Headaches Have Become Your Unwelcome Companion

Tension headaches feel different from other types of headaches. They typically start at the base of your skull and wrap around your head like a tight band. These headaches often stem from tight muscles in your neck, shoulders, and jaw.

The suboccipital muscles, located where your skull meets your neck, are common culprits. When these small but mighty muscles become overworked, they can create referred pain patterns that extend up into your head. Poor posture, stress, and jaw clenching all contribute to this type of tension.

Your Stress Levels Are Through the Roof

Chronic stress doesn’t just affect your mental state—it creates physical changes in your body. When you’re stressed, your muscles automatically tighten as part of your body’s fight-or-flight response. This protective mechanism works great for short-term threats, but becomes problematic when stress becomes chronic.

Elevated cortisol levels from ongoing stress contribute to muscle tension and inflammation. Your body essentially stays in a state of high alert, making it difficult to fully relax even during downtime.

Exercise Recovery Takes Forever

Regular exercise should make you feel stronger and more energetic over time. If your muscles feel perpetually sore, recovery takes longer than usual, or you dread your workouts because everything feels tight and uncomfortable, these are more signs you are overdue for a massage.

Delayed recovery often indicates your muscles aren’t getting adequate blood flow and nutrients needed for repair. Tight fascia and adhesions between muscle layers can restrict circulation, leading to prolonged soreness and decreased performance.

Simple Tasks Feel Unnecessarily Difficult

Everyday activities shouldn’t require significant effort or cause discomfort. If putting on a jacket makes your shoulders ache, sitting at your desk creates back pain, or walking up stairs leaves your legs feeling heavy, your muscles are crying out for attention.

These symptoms suggest that normal movement patterns have become compromised. Compensatory patterns develop when certain muscles become overactive, while others become inhibited, creating imbalances that affect your entire kinetic chain.

Time to Act

Recognizing these telltale signs you are overdue for a massage is the first step toward better health and comfort. Your body’s signals aren’t something to ignore or push through—they’re valuable feedback about what you need. Professional massage therapy can address muscle tension, improve circulation, and help reset your nervous system. Many are also turning to massage chairs as another form of recovery.

Don’t wait until minor discomfort becomes chronic pain. Your body works hard for you every day—it deserves the care and attention that something like regular massage therapy provides.

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Staying fit and active is great, but muscle recovery is just as important for maintaining your performance and preventing injuries. This article will highlight some must-have tools and techniques to help with muscle recovery.

Foam Rollers

Foam rollers are a staple in the fitness world for a reason. They help release muscle tension, improve flexibility, and increase muscle blood flow. Using a foam roller after a workout can break down knots and adhesions in your muscles, leading to faster recovery. Just spend a few minutes rolling out your major muscle groups, and you’ll notice a significant difference in how you feel the next day.

Compression Gear

Wearing compression gear, like sleeves or socks, can be incredibly beneficial for muscle recovery. These garments apply gentle pressure to your muscles, enhancing blood circulation and reducing soreness and inflammation. Athletes who wear compression gear tend to have less muscle soreness and recover more quickly after intense exercise.

Massage Guns

Massage guns are high-tech tools that deliver rapid bursts of pressure to your muscles, effectively mimicking a deep-tissue massage. They’re perfect for targeting tight muscles and breaking up scar tissue, which can speed up recovery. Incorporate a few minutes of massage gun use into your post-workout routine to alleviate tension and promote muscle repair.

Epsom Salt Baths

Sometimes, the best methods are the tried-and-true ones. Epsom salt baths have been used for decades to relieve muscle pain and reduce inflammation. Your skin absorbs the magnesium in Epsom salts, helping to relax muscles and flush out toxins.

Draw a warm bath, add a couple of cups of Epsom salt, and soak for about 20 minutes to reap the benefits.

Red Light Therapy

Red light therapy is becoming increasingly popular for its ability to enhance muscle recovery. It works by penetrating deep into the skin and promoting cellular regeneration. This process can help reduce inflammation, speed up healing, and alleviate muscle pain. Investing in red light therapy devices can be a game-changer for those serious about their recovery routine.

Proper Nutrition 

What you eat plays a crucial role in how well your muscles recover. Protein is essential for repairing and building muscle tissue, while carbohydrates replenish glycogen stores depleted during exercise.

Aim to consume a balanced meal with lean protein and complex carbs within an hour after your workout.

Rest Days and Quality Sleep

Don’t underestimate the power of rest. Rest days give your muscles the time they need to repair and grow stronger. Additionally, quality sleep is vital for muscle recovery. During deep sleep, your body releases growth hormones that aid in tissue repair. Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night to ensure your muscles have ample time to recover.

Incorporating these muscle recovery tools and techniques into your fitness regimen can make a world of difference in how quickly and effectively you recover from workouts. Each element plays a vital role in your overall recovery strategy. By using these methods, you’ll be back to pushing your limits and achieving your fitness goals in no time.

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1. Change Up Your Routine

Sticking to the same workout routine leads to boredom and burnout. If you dread your workouts, it might be time to mix things up. Different workouts make your physical activity feel interesting and rejuvenate your time in the gym.

For example, consider adding cardio or yoga sessions to your week if you’ve been focusing on weightlifting. Replace exercises that take the joy out of your workout with other effective and fun options. Additionally, explore new activities like hiking, swimming, or dance classes to reignite your enthusiasm for staying active.

2. Set New, Achievable Goals

Setting the same fitness goals month after month becomes monotonous and demotivating. As your body changes, you need to reassess your objectives and set new achievable goals that excite and challenge you.

Break down larger goals into smaller milestones to make them more manageable and rewarding. For instance, if your long-term goal is to run a marathon, start with a 5k race and gradually increase your distance. Celebrating small victories will keep you motivated and provide a sense of accomplishment.

3. Find a Workout Buddy or Community

Working out alone sometimes isolates you, especially when you struggle with motivation. Finding people on a fitness journey provides companionship in similar challenges, ensuring the support and accountability you need to get out of a workout slump.

Whether it’s a friend, a family member, or an online fitness group, having someone to share your progress with and encourage you makes a world of difference. Plus, exercising with others is more enjoyable and inspires friendly competition, pushing you to put in that extra effort.

4. Rest and Recover Properly

Overtraining and lack of proper recovery lead to fatigue and a decreased desire to work out. Listen to your body and prioritize rest and recovery. Ensure you get enough sleep, stay hydrated, and incorporate rest days into your routine.

Active recovery activities like stretching, foam rolling, or light yoga alleviate muscle soreness and improve flexibility. Remember that taking care of your body outside the gym is just as important as the effort you put in during your workouts.

5. Consider Changing Your Surroundings

Sometimes, your work environment plays a significant role in your motivation levels. If you’ve been exercising in the same gym or on the same running path for a while, it might be refreshing to change your surroundings.

Try exploring new parks, trails, or fitness studios in your area. A different setting can provide new stimuli and break the monotony of your routine. Additionally, consider the pros and cons of home vs. gym workouts, such as equipment availability and scheduling freedom. A different environment reinvigorates your workout experience and inspires you to keep pushing forward.

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Start With the Obvious: Rest

Rest is a fundamental component of recovery. It allows the body to repair tissues and replenish energy stores that have depleted during intense physical activity. When you rest, your body initiates a series of physiological processes aimed at muscle regeneration and energy restoration. To incorporate rest into your recovery regimen, ensure you get enough sleep each night and schedule regular rest days throughout your training program.

Practice Active Recovery

Active recovery involves performing light exercises on your rest days. This technique helps reduce muscle soreness and stiffness by promoting blood circulation, which delivers nutrients to your muscles and helps remove waste products. At home, you can engage in activities such as walking, yoga, or light stretching for active recovery.

You can also incorporate active recovery within your workout by interspersing less intense intervals, at about half the effort of your full-on exercise, throughout your workout. Another form of active recovery is switching to walking after a run until your heart rate and breathing return to normal levels. 

Try Massage Tools

Massage therapy promotes muscle relaxation and enhances blood circulation, promoting healing and reducing muscle soreness. It is a recovery technique you can perform at home using a massage gun or hand-held massager.

Do Foam Rolling

Foam rolling, also known as self-myofascial release, uses a foam roller to apply pressure on muscle knots and tight areas. It improves flexibility, reduces muscle tension, and enhances recovery. To perform foam rolling at home, slowly roll the foam roller over your muscles, pausing at any spots that feel particularly tight or tender. 

Ensure Proper Nutrition and Hydration

Nutrition and hydration form a critical part of an athlete’s recovery process. Consuming a balanced diet rich in proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats promotes muscle repair and energy replenishment.

Staying hydrated is vital, as it helps regulate body temperature, lubricate joints, and transport nutrients to your cells. Pro athletes and even celebrities have turned to IV drip therapy to deliver fluids and essential nutrients directly into their bloodstreams for faster recovery. 

Now, many services provide in-home IV drip therapy, but it’s not right for everyone. Thoroughly consider the pros and cons of in-home IV drip therapy. If you think you’re a good candidate, consult your doctor for the go-ahead and find a qualified service that uses only licensed medical professionals to administer the therapy.

Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation

Commonly known as RICE, this method is particularly effective for treating minor sports injuries. Rest allows the injured area to heal, ice reduces swelling, compression limits inflammation, and elevation helps decrease bruising. You can easily practice this technique at home by resting the injured area, applying an ice pack, using a compression bandage, and elevating the injury above heart level.

Incorporating these top athlete recovery techniques you can do at home can enhance your athletic performance and reduce the risk of injury. Remember, your body’s ability to perform and improve depends not only on how well you train but also on how well you recover.

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A proper fitness regime consists of more than just exercise, it involves many moving parts, each working toward the same goal of healthier, stronger, and growing bodies. Acts of physical movement, proper nutritional intake, and rest, a recovery stage, are essential to maximizing one’s fitness journey. Implementing recovery to your workout routine offers many benefits, enhancing your fitness journey in myriad ways. So, what is workout recovery, and why is it important?

Understanding Workout Recovery

Workout recovery refers to the time you allow your body to heal and restore itself after a strenuous exercise session. This period can vary from person to person and depend on multiple factors, such as the workout’s intensity level, individual fitness levels, and overall health and well-being. Workout recovery is a complex process encompassing a variety of elements, such as nutrition, hydration, and soothing muscles, designed to aid your body in regenerating itself post-exercise. 

Importance of Workout Recovery

Workout recovery plays a crucial role in your fitness journey as it aids tissue repair, prevents injuries, and contributes to exercise performance. As you work out, you create microscopic tears in your muscle tissues. Your body repairs these tears during your recovery periods, leading to muscle growth. During recovery, your body also uses the time of rest to rebuild depleted energy stores, allowing you to return to your workout with more energy and better performance.

Ignoring the importance of recovery and not allowing your body adequate time to heal after intense workouts can lead to many consequences, like overtraining, which can lead to severe injuries. Consistent neglect of recovery can also hinder muscle growth and strength development. The muscle repair and growth process predominantly occurs during recovery periods.

Without setting aside time for rest and healing, you deprive your body of this essential recovery time, interrupting the muscle-building process and leading to stagnation or even regression in your fitness progress.

Strategies for Effective Workout Recovery

Several strategies can enhance your workout recovery. These include proper nutrition, which replenishes the nutrients lost during exercise, and adequate hydration to replace the fluids lost through sweat. Good sleep quality is also vital as most of the healing and repair processes happen during sleep. 

Active recovery strategies such as light exercise on rest days or post-workout stretching can also aid recovery. Stretching is essential to workout recovery, which is one of the many reasons why gyms need stretching areas. Stretching promotes flexibility and increases blood flow to your muscles, which aids in the healing process. Alleviating muscle tension reduces soreness and facilitates quicker recovery.  

Workout recovery is a vital component of any fitness plan, affecting how your body grows, heals, and performs in the future. Fitness is not just about pushing your limits, it’s also about knowing when to allow your body to rest and recover. Now that you know what workout recovery is and why it’s important, plan some post-workout recovery regimes for your fitness routine. Take breaks, give yourself rest days, bulk up on nutrition, and make the most of those designated stretch areas in your gym.

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The belief that skipping a couple of workouts a week will set you back a few strides with athletic performance is a myth that has been debunked over and over. Yet many people continue to believe it. Allowing your body to take some time to recover in between workouts and having rest days is a fundamental part of building your fitness and performance. Here are some reasons as to why rest days are just as important as the actual workouts themselves and tips to help your body recover.

Preventing Muscle Fatigue and Injury 

Rest days are when all the benefits of doing exercise occur and are absolutely essential for muscle growth. When you exercise, it causes tiny tears to form in your muscles. During rest days, these are repaired, which results in your muscles becoming bigger and stronger. It also gives chance for your body to replace all the energy it has used up exercising. If essential energy stores aren’t replaced, you can experience muscle fatigue and soreness. When your body is overworked and tired, you become more likely to injure yourself by dropping a weight, missing a step or causing an overuse injury, all of which may put you out of the game for much longer than if you give your body the time it needs to rest and recover. 

Performance Benefits 

After a rest day, athletes usually find their motivation and energy levels are sky-high. They’re ready to work hard, challenge themselves and smash some of their personal bests. If you aren’t well rested, not only will your body not be up to the intensity, but it can be hard to push yourself to do your normal routine, never mind run that extra mile or do a couple of extra reps.

Overtraining and not giving yourself those essential rest days will actually decrease your performance, endurance and slow your reaction times. It may come as a surprise and sound counterproductive, but rest will actually boost your energy and make your workouts more successful. 

Improves Sleep

Everyone knows that exercise can help promote a healthy sleeping pattern. It makes you tired and sets you up for a deep, satisfying sleep. But over exercising and not giving yourself enough rest will have the complete opposite effect. When you do physical activity, cortisol and adrenaline are released into your body which boost your energy levels. If you are overworking your body physically, they will overproduce, meaning you can have a hard time sleeping well, which will decrease your physical performance overall.

Allow your hormones to balance themselves out with necessary rest days so you can continue sleeping well and meeting your exercise goals.

Light Cardio and Stretching

Rest days aren’t about sitting on the couch all day eating chocolate and being a lazy slob. While you should refrain from doing any strenuous exercise to let your body recover, light exercise is encouraged. Go for a walk, do some stretching, just don’t push your body. Yoga is one of the best activities to do when you’re on a rest day.

It loosens your muscles while stretching them and building strength. It is calming, increases flexibility are gives you an awareness of your breathing, which is useful for all exercise. To help your body recover on rest days, try introducing a 10- or 15-minute yoga practice. 

Aid Recovery

You need rest days to let your muscles repair, recover and be ready to continue growing and developing strength. There are a few things that you can do to help your body with this process. Massage is effective in aiding muscle recovery. Self-myofascial release, in other words self-massage, will release tightness, improve blood flow and prevent soreness. Foam rollers and targeted massage guns from Theragun for instance, will relieve tension in your muscles and improve lymphatic flow, leading to more effective recovery. From the Theragun prime hand-held massagers to wave muscle rollers, explore these massagers here to ensure your body is recovering successfully. 

Rest Day Diet

You won’t be using up as much energy on rest days as you would do normally, so your rest day diet is usually a little bit different. Protein is an essential nutrient for muscle repairs, so it is important that you are fueling your body with enough protein even on rest days.

Carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables are the food groups to focus on when you’re taking a rest day. Carbs will restock your energy levels so your body is ready to go again tomorrow while the fruits and vegetables are packed full of healthy nutrients that will support repair and recovery. Your body knows what it needs and will crave certain foods, so listen to what it is asking for. 

Listening to your body is one of the most important aspects of exercise. Your body will give you distinct signs when it needs to rest. If you are sore, fatigued and not performing as usual, take a break. Let your body rest, recover and repair so you can come back stronger and reenergized. 

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CBD oil and many Hemp products have taken the world by storm, and as a result there are many interesting and useful products on the market.

What is CBD oil and what are some of its benefits? Some time ago when I heard the term ‘CBD oil’ I immediately thought of cannabis or weed, and that it just induces the same high or effects that they would. I was quite mistaken – while CBD oil is derived from hemp seed oil, it contains no THC.

CBD Oil supposedly has a range of health benefits including potential anti-anxiety, pain relief, and sleep-promoting benefits, and contains no THC (the psychoactive compound that produces a high). Taking CBD Oil therefore won’t give you a high.

CBD Oil is a general health supplement. Research into its beneficial properties focuses on its potential anti-anxiety, pain relief, and sleep-aid properties. Credé CBD oils are manufactured in South Africa, in a GMP certified pharmaceutical environment. All the products in the Credé range comply with the latest guidelines on CBD manufacturing and marketing, as set out by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), and batches of CBD oil are tested by an accredited South African laboratory.

This means that products made from Hemp CBD don’t make you high, but offer numerous therapeutic benefits to humans and other mammals.

While there are some studies that have been done, there are not many because of the obvious reasons surrounding the laws on CBD oil (that have changed, thus being able to sell the oils now), but many people have spoken of the positive effects that they have experienced while using the oil.  

The CBD itself is shelf-stable and does not need to be refrigerated. While not necessary, refrigeration may help extend the shelf-life of the cold-pressed hemp oil.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a phytocannibinoid found extensively in the plant material of the cannabis plant. It is extracted from the stems and leaves of the hemp plant through CO2 (carbon dioxide) extraction, and isolated from other cannabinoids (such as THC) to ensure a 99.9% purity. The CBD isolate is then carefully introduced to a hemp seed carrier oil.

Credé Natural Oils 100mg CBD oil

I was fortunate enough to be able to try the 100mg CBD oil from Crede Oils for a month and document some of my findings. 

Credé Natural Oils is a proudly South African manufacturer of a range of market-leading health food products, including the Credé Natural Oils range of cold-pressed and organic oils and the OhMega range of nuts and nut butters. The company was founded by Jutta and Helfried Credé, a German couple who moved to South Africa in the early 1980’s with their seven children. 

As the business grew, the family converted an unused guest cottage in their back garden into an oil press and bottling site, and the seven children grew up pressing oil alongside their homework, on weekends and during school holidays. 

Pros of the CBD Oil

To start off, I think it is worth noting that CBD oils do not act right off the bat. It does take a few days for your body to ‘get used‘ to it and for it to start to feel the effects, this also differs from person to person. The oil is also not a miracle worker, so try not to go into it thinking it will solve all your sleep or anxiety problems and you will be rid of all anxiety for instance. It will take some of the edge off, which will still be quite helpful.

I thought I would briefly focus on 3 main aspects:

• Sleep. Lately I have been having a hard time having deep quality sleep. I do not have such a problem falling off to sleep, but I tend to wake up far earlier than I should or not sleep as well as I should throughout the night. While using the oil, I did feel a bit of a change in terms of the quality of the sleep for sure. In terms of consistency, there were still a few nights where my sleep was not as deep but overall there was quite a noticeable difference.  
• Anxiety/stress. In terms of anxiety or stress, (you know, where your mind works against you and overthinks things!), I did feel a difference when taking the CBD oil, though I felt that the timing of when to take it was quite important, and played quite a big role in terms of me feeling any effects (more on that below). It does induce a sort of slight calming effect on you, so I can see how this would certainly help with anxiety and stress.
• Recovery. I cannot really say if I felt a huge difference in terms of muscle recovery (independent from the deeper sleep) but I feel I need to use it for a longer period of time, while also being dependent on the training I would be doing.

As I said above, I felt that the timing of when to take the CBD oil was quite important for me. I was taking 2 1ml drops twice a day and I played around with a few times such as having the first drop mid morning and then the second one mid afternoon/evening. With this scenario I didn’t really feel the effects. I then tried having the first drop first thing as I wake up and then again right before bed. I tend to feel more anxious early in the morning (weird I know), so when I took it at these times, I could certainly feel more of the effects.

Cons of the CBD oil

I cannot really say that there are any negatives or cons to taking the CBD oil. Something to be aware of, is that everyone reacts differently, so while you may experience tremendous benefits, someone else may experience much milder effects. This all depends on how your body adapts and reacts to the oil. There are various strength sizes, so you may need to see which size is best for you and will work better for you.

Pricing and Orders

Crede Oils supply CBD oil in the following pack, and strength sizes:

1. 30ml and 100mg CBD
2. 30ml and 300mg CBD
3. 30ml and 600mg CBD

The prices range from 159.99, 319.95 and 399.95 on special at the moment! Normal prices range from 199.95, 399.95 and 499.95.

Check out their website for more, as well as for a whole range of other products such as various nut butters, flours and other oils!

All orders can be done online via their website and shipping is around +-R100 for orders under R400.

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Your brain activity and physical activity are equally affected by insufficient sleep. Once you understand the vital role rest plays in maintaining your health, you’ll make quality sleep a priority.

On that note, read on to learn the importance of getting enough rest to boost your health and fitness.  

Sleep Boosts Immunity

It should come as no surprise that getting enough rest and adequate sleep help to strengthen your immunity since this is when your body recovers. Sufficient sleep also prevents you from catching common colds. This is because your body works on healing itself as you rest. You become more susceptible to illness and other health risks when your body lacks quality sleep. 

Restores and Revitalizes You

A good night’s sleep improves your overall health as it restores and revitalizes you while your body rests. Enough rest allows your body to re-energize itself for the following day. Consider it a reset button that refreshes and rejuvenates you throughout the night. You’ll notice that insufficient sleep often results in you struggling to remain as productive and athletic as you’d like. 

It’s important to identify why exactly you are not getting enough sleep. You should try to sleep and wake up around the same time every day as structure helps your body function and adapt to a healthy routine. Moreover, make sure that you’re surrounded by a relaxing environment when you go to sleep. A great rule to follow, as the experts over at Kakun sleep suggest, is to surround yourself with comfy materials to promote quality sleep.

The right pillow and mattress play a vital role in supporting your sleep and ensuring your body is revitalized every morning. Having a light on and loud noise also affects your ability to relax and unwind. The atmosphere in your bedroom needs to set the right tone for you to switch off for the night. 

Boosts Productivity and Concentration

Everyone knows that rest is essential if you want to be productive. Without quality sleep, your concentration is deficient, making it harder for you to focus. The inability to focus will hinder your attempts to be productive. This can have a negative impact on your stress management. Sufficient rest allows your body to restore its energy, boosting your productivity and making it easier for you to complete tasks. 

Helps You Maintain a Healthy Weight

Insufficient sleep prevents your body from digesting food properly. Studies show that people who don’t get sufficient sleep are more prone to snack on high-calorie foods, causing them to gain weight. Proper sleep impacts the hormones regulating hunger, which is why it stimulates your digestion. Lack of sleep also leads to a more sedentary lifestyle, resulting in poor weight management.

Reduces Health Risks

Poor sleep affects the brain’s ability to function properly, just like alcohol intoxication. If you maintain healthy sleeping habits you are more likely to have better health, better concentration, and better long-term memory and brain activity into old age. Quality sleep also delays certain health issues that you may be genetically predisposed to like diabetes. 

Rejuvenates You

As mentioned above, when you rest your body has a chance to revitalize itself. However, this isn’t restricted to your health; it affects your complexion, too. Your skin is rejuvenated through adequate rest, which is why those who get at least seven hours of sleep a night can appear more youthful. This is because their skin is less susceptible to breakouts and under-eye bags that can age you and make you appear frayed. 

Getting quality sleep

Quality sleep and rest are usually what the doctor orders to maintain overall health, and it’s not hard to understand why. Sleep has mental and physical health benefits that promote a more active and happier lifestyle. With a good sleeping pattern you’ll have the energy to keep fit, and you’ll feel healthier inside and out. 

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Sleep is essential to our mental and physical health. Despite its obvious benefits most people find themselves deprived of quality sleep. There are many causes of poor sleep patterns. Beyond making you moody and tired, poor sleep habits could lead to serious health concerns such as type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, and obesity. 

To prevent these disorders here are a few often overlooked and simple tips for getting better sleep suggested by major organizations such as the CDC, National Institute on Aging, and the National Institutes of Health.

Create Sleep-Friendly Bedrooms

One of the essential tips for ensuring a good night’s sleep is to make your bedroom a comfortable place to relax. Though this seems obvious, it is a factor that is often overlooked. You should design your bedroom such that it facilitates a good night’s sleep.

1. High-performance Pillow and Mattress

You spend hours on your mattress each night. Therefore, investing in the right mattress is paramount. A good mattress provides support and comfort for you. Your mattress should be able to spread your weight evenly and relieve pressure points. You can read more in this article on what pressure is recommended as relieving.

2. Limit Light Disruption

Excess light in your bedroom could disrupt your circadian rhythm and cut-off your sleep. Having a sleep mask or dark curtains over the windows can block excess light that might interfere with your rest. 

3. Quality Bedding

Your blankets and sheets play a mega role in making your bed feel more inviting. Go for bedding that is soft and comfortable on your skin, and maintain comfortable temperatures during the night. 

4. Regulate Temperatures

Too high or too low temperatures can interfere with your ability to sleep. The ideal temperature for a good night’s sleep varies from individual to individual. Research says that the ideal temperature that supports sleep is 65 degrees.

Adopt a Sleep Schedule

To facilitate a good night’s sleep, you have to take control of your daily sleep schedule. Here are some strategies you can implement.

1. Fixed Sleep and Wake-up Time

Sleeping and waking up at the same time every day will help your internal clock to adjust, and you can get quality sleep. You know you have achieved your target when you are able to wake up without an alarm. Stick to your sleep schedule even on weekends.

2. Regulate Naps

To get better sleep at night, avoid taking long naps during the day. Also, avoid napping too in the afternoon and evening as it will be harder to sleep at your usual sleep time. The best time to take a nap is after lunch and do not nap for more than 20 minutes.

3. Get Adequate Sleep

Considering the set bedtime and wake-up time you set, you can work backward and set the number of hours you want to sleep in a night. You should ensure you get the recommended amount of sleep every night. To achieve this without affecting your sleep schedule, give yourself a few extra minutes before bed to wind up the day, and get ready for sleep.

4. Create a Pre-Bed Routine

If you have sleep problems, it’s natural to think that the problem starts when you get in bed. The truth is, the time leading to bedtime plays an important role in preparing you to fall asleep. When you get to bed, do not focus on getting asleep. Instead, focus on relaxing. Here are some pre-bed routines that can improve your sleep.

5. Wind Down 30 Minutes Earlier

It is easier to fall asleep if you are at ease. Soothing music, quiet reading, mindfulness meditation, guided imagery, relaxation exercise, and low impact stretching can help you wind-up and get into the right mind to sleep.

6. Put Away Your Devices

Laptops, phones, and tablets can keep your brain active, making it hard to wind down. The light from devices also suppresses the production of the sleep-inducing hormone, melatonin. Blue light from technological devices lowers the production of melatonin. Avoid your devices at least thirty minutes before bedtime.

Whether you are waking up in the middle of the night or finding it hard to get asleep, these tips will help you get a better night’s sleep. Most people are not able to implement all these changes at once. You could start with small adjustments and work your way up towards better sleeping habits. 

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What Studies Show about Sleep Deprivation

There is plenty of research to examine the effects of serious sleep deprivation on physical and mental performance. The number of studies on how the brain and body are affected by not sleeping for a day or two in a row is substantial. It’s a well-established fact that you simply won’t be able to perform at your best or even act like your normal self after some intense sleep deprivation.

However, the studies are less numerous when it comes to figuring out how minor sleep deprivation affects strenuous physical activities like running. Studies have been done, but they are not as detailed as we would like for the purpose of this discussion. What they have shown, however, is that losing a few hours of sleep for a few days in a row probably won’t have a serious effect on your running capabilities. Your body should still supply the same amounts of oxygen and will be able to perform physiologically at the same level for a while.

Your body may not be completely onboard with the idea, giving you some struggles here and there, but it can manage with running after a few days of poor sleep. Your body will adjust eventually to less sleep and continued running activities, but it may not be an easy adjustment period. It’s possible that you may suffer from things like hair loss, constipation, fatigue and other health issues that can get in the way of your running.

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

We have all heard the medical advice that people need 7-9 hours of sleep each night, but you have to realize that different people need different amounts of sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, that 7-9 hours holds true still for people aged 26-64, with older adults needing slightly less (7-8) and anyone younger than 26 needing more.

As you may notice, there is a range with these figures. Some people will need nine hours of sleep to feel rested and to perform at their best. Others can get away with seven hours of sleep a night and not need more than that for much of their life. How much sleep you need to be at your best will depend on a variety of factors, such as your health, weight, level of physical activity, stress levels and more.

Ultimately, you will need to decide for yourself how much sleep works for you. Your doctor can give you some recommendations, but you’re probably going to fall somewhere within the 7-9 range. Like we said before, you can get away with less sleep for a short while, but that will take its toll, both on your health and on your running. Yes, your body may adjust over time if you constantly try to get by on less than seven hours of sleep, but your running performance is going to be hampered, and you won’t be able to reach your full potential.

If you feel like you could be doing better and running longer and not getting as worn out after your runs, then you may want to examine your sleep schedule. It can be worth it to get a bit more sleep in order to keep your body operating at peak performance and to ensure that your running isn’t draining too much of your energy.

Dealing with Sleep Deprivation in Your Running

There will likely be instances where you simply don’t have time to get enough sleep and still want to do your regular running. You’ll have to know how to cope with the stress you are putting on your body. One way to help alleviate some of that strain is to use the proper running equipment, and sites like Jogging Addiction and others offer some great resources to help you find suitable equipment that makes running much easier.

You may also need to adjust your nutrition to deal with the new challenges your body is facing. Talk to your doctor or dietitian about what changes may help. You will likely be advised to increase your carbohydrate intake to give your body more long-term energy.

You will also likely have to deal with higher levels of stress, due to an increased production of cortisol, which is the stress hormone. Coping activities like spa treatments, meditation, yoga and other relaxation methods can help with this issue.

We want to leave you with this thought about how sleep deprivation affects your running performance: You probably know if you are asking too much of your body and if you are not getting enough sleep. Poor lifestyle habits will affect your body’s overall performance and long-term health, so if you feel you can’t make changes to your sleep schedule or your running regimen, then talk with your doctor about what else you can do.

Author bio:

Sofia Alves is an avid runner, conveyor of messages, sunshine addict. Guided by the belief that health is a choice, she recently started sharing her knowledge as a contributing writer at Jogging Addiction. In her free time, you can usually find her sharing stories with friends over a glass of dry wine and a plate of her favorite pesto spaghetti.

Photos by:

• Filip Mroz on Unsplash
• Zoltan Tasi 
• Hutomo Abrianto 
• Adam Grabek 

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The post Running On No Sleep: How It Affects Your Performance appeared first on FitNish.com.