By Daniel Heller, MSc, CSCS, RSCC
We’ve all had a bad night’s sleep. And we’ve all felt like we don’t want to do anything physical the next day. We are humans. So you skip the gym that day? The answer is simple. If you occasionally have a bad night’s sleep, show up and modify your workout to accommodate your energy level. If you you regularly wake up refreshed and tiredsee your healthcare provider. Basic principle: movement! Poor sleep and feeling tired are two common responses stress and one of the big excuses for not exercising. Ironically, some form of adapted physical activity can be the antidote to fatigue and insomnia.
Your biological clock
There is one area of biology worth exploring that may affect the relationship between sleep, energy, and physical activity: your biological clock. Your biological clock is your innate timing device. It is made up of specific molecules (proteins) that interact in cells throughout the body. Biological clocks are found in almost every tissue and organ. Biological clocks produce ccircadian rhythms-the physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. Sleeping at night and waking during the day is an example of a light-related circadian rhythm. Other circadian bodily functions include feeding, body temperature, and hormone production.Here’s a quick reference on circadian rhythms.1 Your daily variations refer to fluctuations in how you feel in response to circadian rhythms throughout the day.2 Finally, yours chronotype it’s the time of day you feel most awake.
Chronotype, daily variation, exercise and timing
Being aware of how the time of day affects you can help you make decisions about when it’s best to engage in physical activity and, to some extent, help you understand how natural rhythms affect the ebb and flow of your emotions.
How would you describe your chronotype? Are you a morning, noon or night person? Then think about the daily fluctuations in your mood and energy during the day and evening. When are you most productive and energized? What times of the day or night are your low points?
Now, assuming you usually sleep well, do your daily fluctuations in mood and energy align with your chronotype? For example, if you are a morning person, do you feel energized and ready to face the day when you wake up? Or, when noon rolls around, are you just hitting your stride? A word for “night owls”: Allow at least an hour between exercise and bedtime, as vigorous physical activity wakes you up.4
Read How to Sleep by Lawson Aschenbach
If you can align your exercise schedule with your chronotype, this could be the ideal timing. Unfortunately, daily commitments conspire to make this problematic. Knowing your daily fluctuations in mood and energy gives you additional opportunities to choose times that encourage motivation to exercise. By recognizing that we are wired to our biological clock, it provides greater insight into the forces that contribute to how we think, feel and behave. Knowing this can help you personalize and organize your time, especially around exercise.
| Chronotype | Are you a morning, noon or night person? |
| Biological clock | Natural innate timing device |
| Circadian rhythm | Physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a daily 24-hour cycle. i.e. sleep/wake cycle |
| Daily variations | Fluctuations in energy and mood during the day and at night |
| Circadian rhythm disruptors | Chronic emotional and socioeconomic stress, age, shift work, jet lag |
Sleep disturbance, fatigue and exercise
Support yourself through physical activity and explore how best to encourage him through the barrier of fatigue. Chronic stress, whether emotional, social, or financial, can disrupt your circadian rhythm by affecting your sleep/wake cycle. Some disruption is normal, but see your health care provider if you suffer from chronic sleep disorders. It’s okay to modify your workouts to make it easier on yourself, maybe take some of the complexity out of a workout. Research shows that some indicators of physical performance can decrease if we are tired, but it does not prove that it should not be done.2.5-7 For example, our ability to perform an agility task could be reduced if we are tired because our coordination may be off and our ability to make quick decisions may be a little slow.2 Knowing that these are potential effects of a poor night’s sleep, consider modifying your workout to keep it safe. The table below provides an illustration of recommendations for training modification.
| Full sleep | Do your regular workout | You probably don’t need to modify your workout. |
| He slept ok | Make your regular workout your best effort | If you plan to do some resistance training, consider going a little lighter. If you’re planning an aerobic activity, be okay with not going as fast. |
| He barely slept | Consider modifying your daily physical activity to be lighter | If you do free weights, consider using a resistance machine. If you are going to run, consider running at a slower pace. reduce distance and/or duration. |
Research shows that performing an aerobic activity could seem more difficult in a fatigued state, compared to when well rested.7 For example, when you’ve had a full night’s sleep, a particular run usually takes 45 minutes, but when you haven’t had a full night’s sleep, that same run may take you 55 minutes and seem more difficult to complete. It doesn’t matter because you showed up regardless and did it! You have demonstrated your commitment to living an active life! It’s not about a good workout once a month. it’s a matter of making a firm commitment to an active, safe lifestyle.
Before starting or making any changes to your exercise plans, consult your doctor first.
For more information about sleep, exercise, and general wellness issuesvisit it Metagenics Blog.
References
1. NIH: National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Circadian Rhythms. https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/pages/factsheet_circadianrhythms.aspx. Accessed 24 September 2019.
2. Romdhani M et al. Total sleep deprivation and recovery sleep affect diurnal variation in agility performance: gender differences. J Strength Cond Res. 2018.
3. Lack L et al. Chronological differences in circadian rhythms of temperature, melatonin, and sleepiness as measured in a modified fixed-routine protocol. Nat Sci Sleep. 2009? 1:1-8.
4. Stutz J et al. Effects of evening exercise on sleep in healthy participants: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2019? 49 (2): 269-287.
5. Orzeł-Gryglewska J. Consequences of sleep deprivation. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health 2010? 23:95-114.
6. Skein M et al. Intermittent sprint performance and muscle glycogen after 30 h of sleep deprivation. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2011? 43:1301-1311.
7. Temesi J et al. Does central fatigue explain reduced cycling after total sleep deprivation? Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2013? 45:2243-2253.
| Daniel Heller, MSc, CSCS, RSCC Holistic strength and conditioning coach Daniel Heller, MSc, CSCS, RSCC earned his Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science and wellness from Bastyr University in 2009 on a direct path to making a positive impact in the world of exercise and sports science. Since graduating from Bastyr, Heller has been involved in coaching young athletes in ice hockey, figure skating and mountain biking. In addition to developing posture alignment and compression garments with Oakley Inc. and was the lead author of the exercise chapter for the Metagenics First-Line Therapy Patient Guide. In 2016 he received his Masters in Strength and Conditioning from the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland. Heller continues to coach and is actively involved in the field of strength and conditioning. Daniel Heller is a paid consultant and guest author for Metagenics. |
