When it comes to training as an Ectomorph, what you do in the gym is crucial to growing your muscles. However, What you do outside the gym is just as important, if not more important. That includes what you eat, what you drink, and of course your sleeping habits. And as an Ectomorph that can lose weight easily, you’re pretty much forced to focus on all these little details. That leaves the question: Do Ectomorphs need more sleep?
When it comes to training, sleeping should be one of your top priorities regardless of your body type. However, Ectomorphs tend to build muscles faster the more rest time they give to their bodies. Getting 8-9 hours of sleep every night as an Ectomorph is largely sufficient to see growth.
And regardless of training, sleeping is one of the most important factors to having a good healthy life. Here are some of the amazing benefits of a good sleeping plan especially for Ectomorphs:
Table of Contents
Sleeping Improves Your Muscle Growth
Compared to the other body types, gaining muscle mass as an Ectomorph is not an easy task. You need to put in a lot of hard work and dedication just to see tiny progress in terms of muscle growth. You need a balanced combination of a good diet, a workout routine that’s adapted to your body type, and most importantly, healthy sleeping habits.
During sleeping, your body releases multiple growth hormones which are the key components to healing your muscles after a good workout. Without these hormones, your body will not fully build your muscles and thus, you’ll never have the results thriving for.
The Ectomorph body type has a rapid metabolism that’s constantly burning calories, so it takes a lot of work to get enough calories in order to gain weight. This means that you need to focus on preserving your energy. And the best way to do it is to get enough sleep.
However, This doesn’t mean that you should spend your entire day sleeping and doing nothing. In fact, too much sleeping can hurt your body, especially as an Ectomorph. Let’s say you sleep for about 14 hours, this means that your body is surviving 14 hours on an empty stomach. So it’s forced to use other sources of energy such as fat and muscle mass. These sources are something that you can’t afford to lose as an Ectomorph.
Sleeping Improves Your Overall Performance
If you’re not an active person, then you probably don’t need that much sleep. But let’s face it, nowadays, everybody is active. Whether you’re working, studying, have a messy daily schedule, or you’re a struggling Ectomorph, your body is in desperate need of a good rest. It’s true that we have performance boosters like coffee, tea, and energy drinks. But relying too much on them will not be beneficial, especially in the long term, or if you’re into fitness. Getting enough sleep will help your body to perform to its maximum potential. This means you’ll be able to perform better during your gym sessions which can help you see faster results.
Sleeping Improves Your Diet
I know what you’re thinking, what is the connection between sleeping and diet? Even if you have the perfect healthy diet or the perfect Ectomorph workout plan, not getting enough sleep will simply undo everything you’ve worked so hard on. It’s like you’re pouring water on a duck’s back. If you ever wonder why you’re not seeing any results when it comes to gaining muscle mass even though you follow a strict guide, then this is your simple answer: You’re not getting enough sleep.
Quick Sleeping Tips
- Make sure to create a strict sleeping schedule and promise yourself that you will follow it no matter the circumstances. (Here is a great sleeping journal I’ve found on Amazon that can help you manage your sleeping schedules)
- Create a bedtime ritual that can help you reflect, relax, and sleep. (like writing down things that happened during your day, taking a hot shower, or stretching)
- As an Ectomorph, make sure you’re not feeling hungry while going to the body. That’s usually a sign that your body needs fuel to heal your muscles while you’re sleeping.
- Sleep before midnight.
- Make sure the room you’re sleeping in is quiet and dark
- Leave a window open for cool air
Always remember that besides training and optimizing your diet, sleeping will be one of the most important factors that you need to take seriously during your weight and muscle gain journey. Especially if you have an Ectomorph body type. Give your muscles enough rest time to grow. You’re not going to see any serious results if you stay awake past midnight scrolling your phone, watching your favorite TV show, or doing nothing productive. Everything you’ve worked so hard on will be useless.
