Recovoery Question

[JCavin]

If, like me, you don't really have the option to sleep for 8 hours straight through the night, is it possible to kind of "substitute" sleep for food to aid in recovery?

I have a 9 month old at home that likes to wake up frequently at night. If eating even more can possibly help me in the absence of sleep, that would be helpful.

[Sami]

Peanut Butter.

[JCavin]

Sweet. I've been eating the hell out of peanut butter.

[misspelledgeoff]

i started SS when my third son was 3 days old. i feel your pain.

for me personally, sleep doesn't become much of a factor unless I get only a few hours for several nights in a row. food however, is a huge factor.

so to answer your question more directly, yes, I think extra food can compensate for less than ideal sleep. it has worked in my case.

[JCavin]

Awesome.

Thanks guys. I really appreciate your help. I've been stressin' over it for a couple weeks now.

[kittenSmash]

I can't say that I can relate to having a kid keeping me up, but with 10hr shifts (which by themselves are fine), commuting, 2hrs of lifting, then the basic shit that comes with making food and working on the house/truck/etc. I can't even imagine 8hrs of sleep on a week night. I don't know how you parents do it. I try for 6hrs the night before lifting. I really think eating shit loads is the only reason I have been able to make progress, so I agree that alot of calories is compensating. This whole recovery part is harder than the lifting.

[Sal Webber]

Really good question. I would think the answer is sort of like diets...YMMV. I need 9+ hrs of sleep minimum which can be quite the logistic challenge with working 55+hrs and a family and working out. MNF and SNF always screw things up for me in the Fall...I wait all year to watch football and then I curse it and can't wait til it's over because I lose sleep watching it. This season has convinced me I'm getting a DVR this year. Sleep's main recuperation effect is the reset/repair of hormonal values. Maybe somebody who actually understands it can explain it...I've noticed I can go for 5-6 hours a night for about a week but then I have a cumulative fatigue that will set in in the second week. In short, I've never heard of too much sleep hurting performance but I have heard of a lot of cases the other way around.

My family is the single thing that I am most proud of in my life. There are tradeoffs to living such a commitment to a family.

Kitten, enjoy your freedom and get some fucking sleep man

[tescott]

Having a 3 month old makes it hard for me too, but I find that naps makes a big difference where ever you can sneak them in.

[August West]

Yeah I've got a four-month old, and 8-hour nights of sleep just don't generally happen. Coffee before training has become a ritual for me, I find it helps a lot. Sleep may be largely out of your hands but I agree that lots of food and milk will at least keep the rest of your recovery situation squared away.