SLEEP NEWSFEED 11/22
Forget living-room yoga and slow, meditative laps of the park: a little old-school bodybuilding could be the best way to bulk up your shut-eye
It’s not exactly news that we Brits are seriously sleep-deprived. According to a recent YouGov report, one in eight of us scrape by on fewer than six hours a night, with just 35% of us getting the recommended minimum of seven.
Part of the problem is that many of the antidotes simply aren’t much fun (renounce your nightly half-bottle of wine; shun the TV) or that realistic (wear blue light-blocking glasses; develop sudden amnesia with regards to that recent work screw-up). Thankfully, a recent study points to a more attractive solution to restless nights: bodybuilding. According to preliminary research by Iowa State University, grunting through a heavy set of biceps curls might be the smartest way to lull yourself into a deep slumber.
Researchers assigned 386 inactive adults with three different exercise routines, while a control group just chilled. For a year, each of the training groups worked out for an hour, three times a week, with some blending strength and cardio, others sweating through a cardio-only regimen and a final group doing strength work only – bench presses, biceps curls, lat pull-downs, etc – with three sets of eight to 16 reps. All the good stuff, in other words.
Among those who were failing to hit their seven hours at the study’s start, average sleep dura
