To sleep or not to sleep... Is that even a question ?

Rest and quality sleep is an integral and often overlooked piece of the training puzzle. We all tend to put vast efforts in design and execution of the training plan. We will invest nearly as much energy thinking, fretting about and putting together our meals. (Although as the mileage increases and the furnace gets red hot that tends to be just about everything in sight followed by a cheese pizza.) . Sadly however, little attention is paid to quality and quantity of rest.

I mean seriously, who has the time to think about sleep let alone get enough. Wrong! You should, nay, you must, if you want to reap maximum rewards from your hard work on the track, trails and roads. The simple truth is that sleep is restorative and critical to recovery and adaptation. During quality sleep, blood pressure drops, breathing slows and blood flow moves to muscles and tissues in need of repair. This is what helps you not only recover from your hardest workouts but also get maximum benefit.

If you pushed yourself to the limit of a hard workout, you are fatigued and microscopic tears in your muscles are left behind. Not only that, but your intense efforts cause fluctuations in enzymes and hormones and inflammation in your body increases. Sleep is the great equalizer. In fact, it’s better than an equalizer, it’s the improver.

Sleep not only encourages muscle growth and tissue repair but it is also the phase where productive chemicals like Human Growth Hormone are secreted. So how do we get more of it ?

First, if you have children… Sell them. I have two, inquire within.

Ok that isn’t at all serious, but the issue is. Whether it’s children, career, stress, working two jobs, or studies, we all have multiple things keeping us from getting the rest we need. So can we get more ? Perhaps, but even if we can’t there are some things to do to get the most quality out of the precious Zzz’s we do catch.

First, as much as you can set a regular bed time and respect it. Humans are creature or habit. The same routine and repetition that gets you out the door Sunday at dawn can be the habit that gets you more sleep. Early to bed and early to rise works for some, but if it doesn’t work for you find your natural cycle and don’t fight it.

Some simple tips to improve your quality of sleep:

-Turn the tech off early. Blue light is proven to affect sleep quality and ability to sleep. Set a hard limit for tech use. Whenever possible, leave the device outside the room or at least out of arms reach bedside.

-Limit caffeine consumption late in the day. If you are feeling sluggish, get the blood pumping instead of the espresso. Stretch, move and breathe to stimulate energy instead of consuming the caffeine you pay for later.

-If possible reduce unplanned naps and be consistent in your designated sleep time.

-Calm your mind with mediation or breathing exercises as you wind down. If your calm when the head hit’s the pillow the sandman is that much closer at hand.

-Not only does sex help you sleep more but it can actually help you fall asleep. Orgasm released a hormone called prolactin which creates a feeling of relaxation and sleepiness. Send this article to your partner.

Now if you’ll excuse me, its almost 11PM and I’m ignoring at least 2 of my own recommendations.

Sleep tight !