The Overlooked Link Between Sleep and Muscle Performance
At SOMA Movement Studio, we often talk about the importance of breath, alignment, and intelligent movement. But one of the most powerful contributors to physical strength and resilience doesn’t happen on the Reformer—it happens while you’re asleep.
Sleep is more than rest. It’s a biological reset that directly affects muscle function, chronic pain, and your ability to build strength. If you’ve ever felt unusually sore, reactive, or stuck in a plateau despite consistent workouts, poor sleep could be the missing piece.
Sleep and Muscle Recovery
Muscle tissue doesn’t rebuild during your workout—it rebuilds afterward, and primarily during deep sleep. That’s when the body releases growth hormone, which helps repair microtears in muscle fibers and supports the development of new, stronger tissue. Without adequate sleep, this process is disrupted, leaving your muscles less recovered and more prone to fatigue or injury.
In practical terms, this means that a solid night of sleep is just as important as any class or workout on your schedule. You may be working hard in the studio, but if your body doesn’t have the opportunity to recover, those efforts may not translate into the progress you’re hoping for.
Inflammation, Pain Sensitivity, and Sleep Deprivation
Sleep also has a powerful influence on inflammation and chronic pain. Even modest sleep deprivation can increase the body’s inflammatory markers and lower its pain threshold. In other words, muscles and joints become more reactive to stimulus, and discomfort becomes harder to ignore.
If you're someone who lives with low back pain, neck tension, or tight hips, improving your sleep quality can be a surprising—but effective—way to reduce sensitivity and support long-term relief. Think of it as adding another form of recovery work to your wellness toolkit.
The Nervous System Connection
Sleep plays a key role in regulating the autonomic nervous system, which governs how our bodies respond to stress. Poor sleep often nudges the body into a more sympathetic (fight-or-flight) state, even in the absence of obvious stressors. This can make your muscles feel guarded, stiff, or "on alert"—a state that's not ideal for smooth, coordinated movement.
For Pilates in particular, where precision and control are central, a fatigued nervous system can subtly undermine your efforts. Movements may feel harder to organize, and it may be more difficult to follow cues that you normally understand without effort.
Movement Learning and Cognitive Performance
Good sleep doesn’t just help your body recover—it helps your brain process new movement patterns and refine motor control. Whether you’re working on smoother footwork, improving pelvic stability, or integrating more advanced choreography, a full night of sleep helps solidify those connections.
When you’re sleep-deprived, everything from balance to reaction time to cue interpretation can feel off. If you’ve ever had a class where nothing seemed to click, and your body felt two steps behind, poor sleep might be a factor.
What You Can Do
You don’t need perfect sleep every night to see the benefits. Even small improvements—going to bed a little earlier, winding down without screens, limiting caffeine after noon—can make a meaningful difference in how your body feels and performs.
This October, we’ll be exploring the connection between sleep and strength more deeply during our SOMA Sleep Challenge. You’ll track your sleep, learn practical tips for better rest, and move in ways that support your body’s natural recovery rhythm. It’s not about perfection—it’s about building habits that let your nervous system, muscles, and mind thrive.
Because rest is not the opposite of work. It’s what makes the work work.