Championing Your Sleep for Health and Fitness

“I’ll sleep when I’m ____.”

Our society often undervalues sleep, yet it’s crucial for our health.

Matthew Walker, PhD, describes sleep as a “remarkable Swiss Army knife of health and wellness” in his book Why We Sleep. He highlights the “healthy trinity” of balanced diet, exercise, and sleep, emphasizing that “lack of sufficient sleep leads to a quagmire of ill health, disease, and untimely death.” Even routinely sleeping less than six or seven hours a night can more than double your risk of cancer.

Step 1: How Much Sleep Do You Get?

Track your sleep: Use the table below to log your sleep hours each night.

Step 2: Compare Your Sleeping to Expert Recommendations

How Much Sleep?
The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults aged 26-64 sleep 7-9 hours per night. If you struggle with sleep and consume caffeine, ensure it’s not too late in the day. Caffeine has a half-life of 5 hours. If you drink 300 mg of caffeine at 2 pm, at 7 pm you still have 150 mg of caffeine in your system.

The Role of Caffeine
Morning Coffee Habit: Do you rush to your coffee as soon as you wake up? Do you feel you need caffeine to function?

Caffeine’s Effect:
Caffeine isn’t a fuel source. It blocks a signal in your body that builds up to indicate you need rest. If you’re sluggish upon waking, consider:

• Am I Tired? Evaluate your sleep quality and quantity.

• Am I Thirsty? Sometimes, grogginess can be due to dehydration. Drink water to clear your mental fog.

Step 3: Evaluate Your Sleeping Hours

Do you see any patterns? Do you sleep longer on the weekends? Do you wake up naturally on the weekends without an alarm? How long do you sleep on those days? How could you get your weekday sleeping hours to a similar amount of hours? What about the quality—do you feel rested after sleeping 8 hours? How could you improve the quality of your sleep?

Find something to rally behind—a sleep goal. Maybe you currently get 6.5 hours of sleep during the week and 8 hours on the weekend. Come up with a plan to get those extra hours of sleep. Here are some tips:

Prioritizing Sleep
Setting a Routine: It’s easy to say, “I need to go to bed earlier,” but it’s vital to have a plan and a nightly ritual. Set an alarm to remind you it’s time to wind down.

Quality of Sleep: Optimize your sleep quality by setting a bedtime routine, limiting screen exposure, dimming lights, and engaging in relaxing activities like reading or listening to music.

Pre-Bed Preparation (things you could try)
Winding Down: You want to find some signal to give your body to prepare for sleep. Try:

• Lower lighting.

• Avoid screens.

• Practice gentle, calming, Original Strength RESETS.

• Read a book.

• If it’s your thing, consider drinking a small amount of sleepy tea.

• Some prefer a warm shower to relax, while others find cold exposure (about an hour before bedtime) helpful.

Experiment to find what works for you. Then be consistent in your routine.

The Bedroom Environment (things you could try)
Creating a Sleep-Friendly Space:

• Dark Room: Use blackout curtains or a sleep mask.

• Cool Temperature: Aim for around 65 degrees, as recommended by the National Sleep Foundation.

• Remove Electronics: Keep your phone and TV out of the bedroom, or at least turn your phone to airplane mode to avoid notifications.

• Cover Electronics Lights: If you have electronics or clocks in your bedroom, cover or put black tape over the lights.

• Sound Machine: Some people can relax with a white noise or beach noise machine.

• Write a List: If you have thoughts or a to-do list popping up at bedtime, get in the habit of writing it all down before you get to bed.

Step 4: Run Your Plan for a Week or Two

Then evaluate it. What was successful? What was a miss? How could you make it better?

Prioritizing sleep is a simple yet powerful way to enhance your overall health and fitness. But don’t just take my word for it. Try it for 30 days and report back the discoveries you make. Implement these strategies and monitor your sleep to experience the benefits of a well-rested mind and body.