[Adam Fern]

While reading Steve’s article about recovery, I was conflicted reading the paragraph about sleep. Steve, you state in that paragraph that REM sleep is most vital for promoting muscle recovery, anabolism, and is when growth hormone is released by the endocrine system. This is contrary to the reading and research I’ve done independently of UA (which is extensive) which indicates that deep sleep is when musculoskeletal recovery and growth occurs, whereas REM sleep is typically associated with cognitive restoration and memory formation.

Steve, can you discuss further your source for this claim? While REM sleep is no doubt important, through my training I place a much higher priority on targeting healthy deep sleep cycles during the night.

Thanks, as always,
Adam

Topic

[Adam Fern]

Adam Fern on August 21, 2019 at 6:45 pm #27140

Incidentally, in a totally unrelated vein, how the heck do I upload a profile photo for the forums? Can’t seem to find it anywhere in My Account or in the Edit profile page within the forums….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on August 22, 2019 at 10:04 am #27196

The best way to use a profile photo with WordPress is to use http://www.gravatar.com. That way the same email address and photo will be associated on all WordPress sites. More and more non-Wordpress sites also reference Gravatar, so it’s pretty handy.

[Adam Fern]

Adam Fern on August 23, 2019 at 11:46 am #27268

Got it, thank you, Scott!

Steve, are you avoiding me? 🙂

[Aaron]

Aaron on August 23, 2019 at 12:24 pm #27281

I found this 3 part interview on sleep very interesting and relevant.

https://peterattiamd.com/matthewwalker1/

[Adam Fern]

Adam Fern on August 23, 2019 at 12:35 pm #27282

@Aaron indeed! I have listened to it. Peter Attia has lots of good stuff on his podcasts. Dr. Walker is a legend in the sleep science world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on August 23, 2019 at 3:27 pm #27284

@theflyingmtneer: Steve’s not avoiding you. He’s got a lot on his plate!

[Adam Fern]

Adam Fern on August 23, 2019 at 3:36 pm #27286

@sws I’m certain of that. Two young boys is enough, let alone all the other stuff!

[Steve House]

Steve House on August 24, 2019 at 9:07 am #27294

Adam-Boy, I wrote that in late 2015 and can’t find my notes (or even earlier drafts) of that article. So rather than me try to re-create or figure out what/where I found that information let’s update this piece (if you’re willing to help). If you have been reading/learning more about this more recently you may have better, more up to date information that I have/had. I assume you’re referring to this:

“Sleep: The most important tool for recovery is sleep, especially REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement). During REM sleep the release of several anabolic (growth) hormones are highly elevated. One of these hormones, GH1, is the body’s primary signaling agent for adapting to higher training loads. If you aren’t getting enough REM sleep GH1 levels will be reduced and your recovery will be impaired. Naps are a staple of elite athletes’ to insure they get enough REM sleep. Even a 30min nap can do wonders.”

While I will stand by the effectiveness of naps, I’m quite keen to keep this kind of information up to date and appreciate the help of this community in doing so. send me and email at steve@uphillathlete.com and we can discuss more there and then update this article as it makes sense. Thanks Adam.

[Adam Fern]

Adam Fern on August 25, 2019 at 6:05 pm #27368

@steve thanks for the reply. I’ll send an email with further info but this PubMed article is a great primer on sleep stages and how sleep patterns change with age: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19956/

Slow-wave sleep (SWS, stages 3 and 4 of non-REM sleep as determined by EEG), or deep sleep, occurs predominately during the first third of the night and is when the endocrine system is producing GH. The endocrine system is active throughout the sleep cycle, signaling with different hormones during different sleep phases to accomplish different things.

Here’s another PubMed article that highlights a study that showed a strong correlation between exercise fatigue, an increase in the amount of deep sleep and, interestingly, a decrease in REM sleep during the sleep cycle following the exercise: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4689288/

Additionally, the podcast referenced by @aaron above with Prof. Matthew Walker is excellent. It’s a 3-part series, but the first part discusses items relevant to this discussion.

Thanks,
Adam

[frnkr]

frnkr on August 29, 2019 at 10:49 am #27546

Where is the like button for this thread? 😀