Without sleep, muscles cannot recover from the stress they suffer during training. It's not much use to keep weakening your muscles without giving them time to recover and get stronger. Sleep deprivation can also contribute to joint pain and stiffness, as well as headaches and body aches. The quality of sleep before and after exercise is important.
Researchers suspect that deep sleep is what helps improve athletic performance because that's when growth hormone is released. Growth hormone stimulates muscle growth and repair, bone formation and fat burning. However, poor sleep affects more than just your mood. It can also affect your athletic performance.
In addition, sleeping more can give you a boost in your next race or the next time your team hits the field or court. Therefore, if you consider that quality sleep helps you perform at your best, poor sleep habits may be altering the intensity of your training. Less energy in general means workouts with less energy.
