Sleep Is Overrated

There are 168 hours in a week. Lets say you train 4 times a week at 1.5 hours a session. That equates into 6 hours of training. Of those 6 hours you really don't even train 90 minutes. You warm up, you talk, you roll around on a foam roller, you check your phone and you occasionally lift some weights. So subtract 6 from 168 we get 162 hours left in your week. While training hard and being consistent is important in your quest to reaching your potential you need to optimize how you use the rest of your time outside the gym. That needs to be with what you eat and one over looked factor is sleep.

Many think that they can get away with 4-5 hours of sleep or that there is to much to do during the day that they can sacrifice sleeping. Well new science is showing that Improving your sleep is an extremely important aspect that can have powerful implications in your performance as an athlete. Life is stressful with training, work, school, relationships and everything else that falls in-between these, they all place stress on the nervous system. The body is designed to experience stress but if there is no time in-between where the body gets some relief from this stress the body begins to breakdown and we see adverse reactions to stress. Therefore you need to have strategies in place to help promote recovery and maintaining a balance within the body.

Sleep often falls to the side as a recovery tool. We all do mobility and eat right but sleep gets a back seat. Well sleep is your most essential component to recovery. It's even more important if you are injured, traveling or in the competition phases of your training. If you are depriving yourself of sleep you will be unable to perform in the gym, on the field/court or even with normal everyday tasks. Poor sleep during max effort training, where you are continuously beating your body down will lead to under recovery and early signs of overtraining.

Tips to help you sleep

You need 7-9 hours of sleep per day

Stop consuming caffeine in the afternoon.

De-stress for 20 minutes. Just relax and unwind. No phones, computers or outside distractions.

Turn all electronics off an hour before bed

Have bedroom temperature 67-70 degrees F

Take naps daily around 30 minutes in length but avoid them in the late afternoon/evening

Plan tomorrow before dinner. So make your to-do list so you don't lay in bed thinking about all the things you have to do tomorrow as they will be on your list waiting for you when you get up.

If you can't sleep within 15 min try reading. The book super training will put you right to sleep.

When you lay down close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Focus on letting go of all muscular tension. Begin at the top and work your way down.

 

Improve your sleep. Improve your performance. It's science.

 

Coach B