You know its funny. A lot of people understand that in order to gain muscle mass they need to hit the gym, lift weights and eat right. But most people under estimate the importance of sleep and rest. Sleep is 33% of the equation in order to get the gains that you so desire.  Our bodies work in the following manner: We train at the gym to tear muscles, then we eat in order regain the strength we lost from our workout, but the bodies main reapairing shcedule is done when you are sleeping.

Here are some tips to ensure that you get the optimal amount of rest:

1) Turn the TV off one hour before bed time. Studies have shown that watching TV right before you go to bed can be viewed as a stimulant causing issues with settling into bed

2) Have your last meal six hours before sleeping. Eating food before you go to bed not only causes weight gain, it also forces your digestive track to keep working thus prolonging when you are ready for bed. Food equals energy so why would you want to eat before bed?

3) Watch the amount of caffeine and sugar you consume in a day. Both of these are stimulants and if not burned off they will cause you to toss and turn in bed.

4) Try working out earlier in the day. Starting your work out earlier will help you get more energy and stay focused during your day. It also helps your body get fatigued so the later hours are not spent tossing and turning.

5) Make sure that you have a comfortable mattress. Sleeping on some spring mattress’ can cause undesirable pressure points causing your body to feel uncomfortable. A good mattress will help to evenly distribute your body weight and keep in a comfortable position.

6) Ask your wife how her day went. If all else fails you can try talking to your wife about her day. This helps almost all men doze off into dream land (take it easy ladies it was just a joke).

Hopefully these tips will help you get a better more productive sleep and you will be on your way to shaping into that new pair of jeans!