Let’s face it we have all faced the scenario where we stayed up too late catching up on our favorite shows, maybe getting some late night work done or getting lost in a juicy book. Next thing you know your alarm is going off and blaring in your ears five hours late. You wake up feeling pretty exhausted, yet you don’t want to miss your favorite spin class. Plus, not to mention that silly late fee that is going to hit your bank account if you cancel last minute. So maybe you end up turning off your alarm and catching a couple more hours of sleep to then later in the day feeling guilty for not working out. In this case, which really is better for you… dragging yourself to your workout or going back to sleep?
This is what happens when you go to that workout class lacking sleep…
Your body will literally have less fuel in its tank. Reduced energy from a lack of sleep decreases glycogen storage. If you don’t have the fuel to get through your work at your optimal performance than you certainly are going to feel sluggish and just moving through the motions as best as you can.
Your accuracy and ability to make good decisions is impaired as well. If you have ever lifted weights before or played sports then I am sure you have noticed your ability to play at your peak performance suffers tremendously when you are tired. The struggle is real.
Additionally, if you are an avid workout junkie then slacking on some sleep, also interrupts the recovery process for your muscles.
This is what happens when you go back to sleep instead of working out…
Physically nothing negative unlike the opposite outcome above. In fact, as I mentioned above getting that adequate amount of sleep won’t interrupt your body’s ability to recover in a normal amount of time.
The worse thing that will probably happen is that you could feel guilty. Just remember that there is always tomorrow, it is just one workout.
So the next time you wake up feeling exhausted and you are debating turning off your alarm and rolling back over or springing out of bed and getting yourself to your early morning workout, sleep is the best choice. There are just too many of our mental and physical abilities that are impaired when your body is lacking sleep and exercising certainly won’t improve that. When in doubt choose sleep and remember you can get back on the horse tomorrow or later that evening.
