If you are one of those Type A athletes that is always on the go and try to fit everything in one day. Then you are only taking 4-5 hours of sleep… however, you might realize that now matter how much you train you are packing a few pounds.  The Journal Sleep issued an article in July 2013 found that individuals who were in the bend only four hours a night for five straight nights gained more weight than those in bed for 10 hours nightly under the same controlled laboratory conditions. The researchers explanation for the weight gain was simple. Because they were awake longer, those who slept less ate more meals. The study also found that dietary fat consumption was higher during late-night hours than at earlier times throughout the day.

The take home message for triathletes is as follows…. you are human. You need to rest. The average triathlete sleeps six to seven hours a night. If you’re getting ample sleep (eight – 10 hours a night), it most likely means you’re not making unhealthy snack, taco bell runs, staying up late watching your DVR shows or netflix – yet another reason to get to bed at a reasonable hour as you have training to do in the morning.

Written by Hector L Torres