sleep

[jgoycoolea]

Cathe,

Just how important do you believe sleep to be in gaining muscle strength and or size? I have a toddler and a baby and haven't slept a night through in 3 years! I wouldn't stop doing weight workouts even if you said "critically important." In fact, with limited workout time I have cut out cardio instead. But do you think I can still see gains without adequate sleep?

Thanks!

 

[dlavie]

I'm not Cathe but I'm familiar with sleep deprivation.

If you haven't slept a night through in 3 years and you haven't had a breakdown yet then you probably won't. I am a 3rd shift worker and with my family's schedules I usually come up short. When it becomes critical I start "shutting down", the nap after dinner or can't seem to get it going.

The muscle repair required after weight training isn't sleep time, it's in the overall time between workouts. Just be very cautious if you are weight training while tired, if you don't focus you could get hurt.

Dave

 

[pressju]

OK girl - from one Mommmy to another may I advise that first you get the kids sleeping through the night problem under control? All good workouts, fitness gains and sanity will follow. Get thee online to amazon.com or to a book store and buy The Baby Whisperer and The Toddler Whisperer. They were life changers for me, especially the first book. My kids (two DDs 5 and 3 now) have been sleeping thru the night since 3 months old (except when they are sick of course). And it makes a huge difference.

The basic gist is an unwavering routine at night, then don't pick them up but rub their backs when they cry, teach them to self soothe. This is NOT the Ferber method where you let them scream themselves to sleep (lordy is that awful or what?). This works if you are consistent and patient and stay calm.

Sleep is so vital. You must must must solve this first then your workouts can resume because your energy will increase dramatically.
Let's remember that sleep deprivation is a form of torture - nobody can go on forever like this.

It may take a few weeks but this will work. I promise!!!!! All th ebest.

Julie

 

[Dorothy]

Just a word of encouragement. Kid #1 was a terrible sleeper. Would wake up screaming most nights and it seemed like night terrors. I have night terrors, so it made me wonder if they are genetic. I had kid #2 right after his 5th birthday, and I remember when I was 7 months pregnant with her, that I would never survive if he did not start sleeping better. Well in month 8, all of a sudden, he started sleeping through the night. My daughter was the world's best sleeper and it all turned out. Now at 17 and 12, I can't get them to wake up sometimes!

If the recommended books help, get them, anything to get some sleep! But remember, even though it does not seem it, the time they are this age, and this much work is short.

 

[Tallchick]

I have a similar problem where I get up 5-8 times per night. I have never been able to sleep through the night. I have a bladder problem called Interstitial Cystitis and when I had small children I was so exhausted I could barely do anything. I was able to work out by using lighter weights when I was most tired and just doing less cardio.
Now that the kids sleep all night, I just have to deal with the bladder problem. Those days that I am so tired I can barely move, I just use lighter weights and it seems to work.
Good luck to you, I know how tiring toddlers can be.