Time for sleep?

I slept 11 hours last night.

I am so thankful because I only slept 4 hours the night before (due to juggling my roles as mom and business owner). I felt tired and sick all day yesterday. With so little sleep, I thought it was best not to do my speed workout last night. With my body struggling to function all day, I didn't want to risk taxing it more and getting injured.

The articles are out there. They say athletes need more sleep.

Here are the reasons why:
1. Lack of sleep leads to an increase in cortisol levels. That is a stress hormone, and it can interfere with tissue repair and growth.
2. Lack of sleep decreases the release of growth hormone. This hormone is released during sleep and stimulates muscle and bone growth and repair. Not getting enough sleep can limit your body's ability to recover from a hard workout.
3. Lack of sleep leads to lower storage of glycogen (that is the name for glucose that is stored in your body). Endurance athletes need more glycogen.

Yesterday was a reminder to me that resting is just as important in your training regimen as the actual workouts. In fact, I need to tell myself that I am getting stronger when I am resting. Workouts tear the body down, and rest builds the body up . . . STRONGER.

But my struggle is, "I don't have time for sleep!" Do you have the same struggle with getting enough sleep?