Olympic Weightlifting Recovery 101: Why Sleep Is Important
Olympic weightlifting, particularly on heavy days, can take its toll on our bodies. Recovering well is just as important as the work you put in at the gym, especially when you’re training on consecutive days.
Sleeping is essential for good weightlifting recovery. But when life gets busy, it’s usually one of the first things to suffer. So in this edition of Mem’s Weightlifting Blog, we’re looking at how to make sure you’re catching enough Zs…
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Why Is Sleep Important For Weightlifters?
Weightlifters shouldn’t underestimate the importance of sleep.
Most adults need between 6 and 11 hours per night. Exactly how much is down to the individual – some people need more than others. But get less than you need and you’ll start suffering the effects of sleep deprivation.
That has a number of drawbacks, particularly for weightlifters; it’s been shown to affect the body’s protein synthesis (the process during which muscle is repaired) and lower testosterone, a hormone that's beneficial for muscle mass and strength.
It can also affect your motivation, which will impact the amount of effort you put into your training sessions, or cause you to skip them altogether.
5 Expert Tips For Better Sleep
Keep your night-time routine consistent to help your body clock.
Prepare your room for sleep. It should be as dark and quiet as possible and it helps if it's cool – between 16-18 degrees Celsius.
Avoid caffeine in the late afternoon.
Wind down an hour before bed.
Avoid looking at mobile phone screens (they emit blue light which tricks our brains into thinking it's daytime. This delays the release of the sleep hormone, melatonin).
Of these five tips, Mem believes smartphones have become a widespread cause of sleeplessness.
"Some people struggle to sleep and I think cell phones are a big part of the problem. Most of the time people are scrolling through Reels or Tiktoks on autopilot – which they don’t really need to be doing.
"So my number one tip is don't look at your screen before bed. Experts say it should be one hour, but if you struggle with that start small. Maybe try not to use it for 15 minutes before bed for a week, then the next week build up to 30 minutes."
In summary, sleep is incredibly important. Beyond the points raised above, a lack of it can harm your immunity and put you at greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease and heart attacks.
If you regularly suffer from sleep deprivation, it’s worth checking out Sleepstation – an NHS-approved resource with tonnes of expert tips.
