# Does muscle only repair during sleep?



## oceancaldera207 (Aug 5, 2009)

What percentage of muscle growth/repair occurs during waking life? Any at all?
Maybe this is a redundant question, but it seems that i've never been able to find any studies or definitive answers.


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## Marat (Aug 5, 2009)

I personally don't know. 

Any particular reason, aside from curiosity, that you'd like to know?


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## oceancaldera207 (Aug 5, 2009)

*well*

Ive always wondered.. it seems like it would be useful to know. One would probably want to alter thier protien intake according to when the body would use it the most for muscle growth/repair.
It's also weird to me that for some reason I cant find the answer to this seemingly simple question.


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## Built (Aug 5, 2009)

Or... it might be that this matters so little as to be, for all intents and purposes, utterly useless. Thus no one has bothered to test it.


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## Gazhole (Aug 6, 2009)

Built said:


> Or... it might be that this matters so little as to be, for all intents and purposes, utterly useless. Thus no one has bothered to test it.



This. I don't see any benefit to knowing the answer.


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## Perdido (Aug 6, 2009)

If you cut your finger with a knife does it only heal when you sleep?
Why would muscle growth/repair be any different?

Maybe it's not the answer wasn't insignificant enough to warrant a study, just too obvious.


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## Unreal (Aug 6, 2009)

Your body is in a nonstop state or repair and breaking down tissue.


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## Merkaba (Aug 7, 2009)

um....ok.  On this note I'm going to bed.  Maybe I can repair myself after doing rack pulls with 700lbs


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## T_man (Aug 8, 2009)

Don't dismiss the question so rapidly. I've also pondered this question for a couple of reasons:

Research suggests that it's during REM sleep that the body is able to: restore organs, bones, and tissue; replenish immune cells; and circulate human growth hormone. Sleep has a profound effect on muscle growth and physical well being. Human growth hormone is also released under conditions of sleep. In men, 60% to 70% of daily human growth hormone secretion occurs during early sleep which is typically when the deepest sleep cycles occur.

However, sleeping for 8-10 hours per night is similar to fasting and this is catabolic to muscle growth. Protein synthesis does occur under conditions of sleep but it occurs in the gastrointestinal tract, not the muscles.Muscle is actually broken down during sleep to provide our stomach with amino acids during this time of starvation.

And since we cannot store protein, the protein used for repair of the muscles must be available at this time of optimal growth; which is during our sleep. 

However, stuffing your face just before bed can be detrimental to your sleep.

So where do we go with this?


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## Marat (Aug 8, 2009)

T_man said:


> However, sleeping for 8-10 hours per night is similar to fasting and this is catabolic to muscle growth.



Fasting is catabolic relative to eating. However, you can still bulk and ultimately gain muscle on a fast-centered diet. 



T_man said:


> Muscle is actually broken down during sleep to provide our stomach with amino acids during this time of starvation.



You mean starvation as in being deprived of food to the point where you may die, or starvation as in not eating while you sleep each night? 

I'll qualify my next statement by saying that i'm only about 98% sure on this,  but I don't think muscle loss while you are on a healthy diet as a result of sleeping is a concern.



T_man said:


> And since we cannot store protein



I'll apologize for nitpicking, but that phrase is mentioned frequently.

 Protein is stored. It is stored in one's muscles. As you mentioned, your body will convert the protein to glucose if it needs to.


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## danzik17 (Aug 8, 2009)

T_man said:


> Don't dismiss the question so rapidly. I've also pondered this question for a couple of reasons:
> 
> Research suggests that it's during REM sleep that the body is able to: restore organs, bones, and tissue; replenish immune cells; and circulate human growth hormone. Sleep has a profound effect on muscle growth and physical well being. Human growth hormone is also released under conditions of sleep. In men, 60% to 70% of daily human growth hormone secretion occurs during early sleep which is typically when the deepest sleep cycles occur.
> 
> ...



You're overthinking shit dude.


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## oceancaldera207 (Aug 9, 2009)

I think that it can be safely assumed that some muscle growth does occur during the day, but I've never been able to find out how much more occurs during sleep. Its always bugged me because it seems like it's something that should be more or less known.
As for _why_ anyone would want to know, if I had some general statistics it might change the way I eat, not to mention the pure curiosity of it. What if the ratio is 80% asleep, 20% awake? Wouldnt that make you want to load up protien in the two hours or so before bed? And if daytime growth is comperable to sleep growth?
Its not as if im trying to say that this bit of info is absolutely critical, but it should at least tweak your curiosity a little.



> I'll apologize for nitpicking, but that phrase is mentioned frequently.
> 
> Protein is stored. It is stored in one's muscles. As you mentioned, your body will convert the protein to glucose if it needs to.


The implication of course is that protien cannot be stored for later use in muscle repair.. but you knew that 




heres an interesting article, doesnt answer my question though
How Do Muscles Grow?


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## T_man (Aug 9, 2009)

danzik17 said:


> You're overthinking shit dude.



I get bored. I just thought it was unfair the way you dismiss this question when he is trying to improve his muscle gain, just the way the person who first thought of a quick PWO shake must have been shot down. Now i'm not saying that there's a big significance but as long as there is a difference, over say 20 years it could make quite a difference.

Just my $0.02


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## T_man (Aug 9, 2009)

m11 said:


> Fasting is catabolic relative to eating. However, you can still bulk and ultimately gain muscle on a fast-centered diet.
> 
> *Yes, but if you aren't doing a fast-centred diet, fasting leads to more catabolism doesnt it?*
> 
> ...



My facts aren't on point, I'm just putting across what I've read, feel free to clarify anything I posted that's incorrect.


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## T_man (Aug 9, 2009)

oceancaldera207 said:


> I think that it can be safely assumed that some muscle growth does occur during the day, but I've never been able to find out how much more occurs during sleep. Its always bugged me because it seems like it's something that should be more or less known.
> As for _why_ anyone would want to know, if I had some general statistics it might change the way I eat, not to mention the pure curiosity of it. What if the ratio is 80% asleep, 20% awake? Wouldnt that make you want to load up protien in the two hours or so before bed? And if daytime growth is comperable to sleep growth?
> Its not as if im trying to say that this bit of info is absolutely critical, but it should at least tweak your curiosity a little.
> 
> ...



Yea thats what I meant to say but I got carried away when creating my post, like i always do!


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## Hoglander (Aug 9, 2009)

There are studies on growth hormone related to sleep. In the end though I think you discover that it's more a matter of time between meals concerning GH. So the original question gets even more convoluted. 

Just get enough sleep I guess. That plus I just wanted to find a way to use the word, "convoluted." Before things got more convoluted.


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## oceancaldera207 (Aug 10, 2009)

I wonder if part of the issue with daytime muscle growth has to do with the fact that you are using your damaged muscles somewhat and that is inhibiting optimal repair. If so, how much is this an issue?

Personally i eat a meal of chicken or fish an hour before bed, then eat a little bit again plus a protien drink just before I lay down. I figured that its a good way to give your digestive tract a nice steady flow of protien to process while Im sleeping. If I happen to wake up sometime during the night to use the bathroom, i slam another protien shake before falling back to sleep.


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## CarolinaMom (Aug 10, 2009)

I hope that repair and growth doesn't occur during sleep cuz I only sleep 95 minutes a night.  I would be totally screwed.


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## canyon_chaser (Aug 17, 2009)

CarolinaMom said:


> I hope that repair and growth doesn't occur during sleep cuz I only sleep 95 minutes a night.  I would be totally screwed.



Excuse me, 95 minutes? I thought the 4 hrs I was getting sucked. Sucks to be you.

From what I read, muscle is always in repair mode, unless being used of course. But sleep is where optimal repair is done.


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