The Importance of Sleep

The land of nod. Shut eye. Forty winks. 

Yes, today, we are delving into one of the most foundational elements of good health - sleep.

With over a decade of experience helping our clients improve their health and fitness, we’ve noticed that while many are aware of the general importance of sleep, that doesn’t always mean they make it a priority.

Eminent neuroscientist Matthew Walker, author of ‘Why We Sleep’, describes sleep as ‘…the Swiss Army Knife of health…’ stating that ‘…when sleep is deficient, there is sickness and disease. And when sleep is abundant, there is vitality and health.’

With a mountain of evidence pointing to the importance of sleep, why do so many of us ignore the science, double down on late afternoon cappuccinos, and push back our bedtime for “just one more episode” on Netflix?

The answer is simple: when we train hard, sweat our way through a workout, and focus on our diet - we can see the immediate benefits from our efforts. The effect is right in front of us.

On the other hand, the benefits of sleep literally happen under a cloak of darkness, and so it may not be as obvious to us that prioritising rest could be our key to consistent progress in the gym. 

According to this Harvard Medical School article, ‘People are far more inclined to change their diet and exercise to control weight, as opposed to focusing on improving their sleep, even though more sleep just might be the answer.’

Okay, before you doze off, let’s take a look at what we’ll cover in this blog:

- Why is sleep important?

- 5 Tips for a better night's sleep

- Our bonus tip

Why is sleep important?

Put simply - High-quality sleep is critical! Sleep is the foundation of our physical and mental health. Many studies support this fact. Such as this one. And this one. And one more for good luck. (I could keep going but I’ll relent).

When you sleep (and sleep well), your body repairs itself. 

That’s the root importance of sleep – especially deep sleep if you workout a lot. 

Deep sleep is the restorative kind that strengthens your immune system, enhances fitness, boosts energy, and keeps hormones balanced, including your hunger hormones.

It’s common to think you build muscle during training, lifting and running, when in reality, it’s only part of the equation. John Underwood, Director of the Life of an Athlete Human Performance Project says:

“Once your workout is over, your body begins to react to the stimulus of your workout and also to the damage you induce. When you do a workout, you cause micro-damage within muscle tissue and damage the complex chains of proteins that are housed within muscle.”

Basically, during rest, your body works to repair the “damage” of training, replacing cells and tissues, thus adapting to the stimulus of training and developing stronger muscles over time. 

“Much of this intra-muscular chemistry and synthesis takes place at night when you are sleeping. It is also well known that during early sleep (90-120 minutes after falling asleep) there is a huge release of human growth hormone (HGH). This is one of the most critical factors in growth.”

Here’s the TL;DR – If you’re not sleeping enough, you’re sabotaging your own fitness goals. 

5 Tips for a better night's sleep

1) Avoid caffeine within 8-10 hours of bedtime. Dr. Matt Walker (the afore-mentioned sleep expert) recommends trying to cut caffeine off somewhere between 12 to 14 hours before you expect to go to bed as a rule of thumb. It takes five to seven hours for your body to remove just half of coffee’s caffeine concentration.

2) Avoid viewing bright lights—especially bright overhead lights between 10 pm and 4 am Bright lights of all colours are a problem for our circadian system. (study) Speaking personally, I know it’s controversial, but one of the best things I have ever done for my health is to remove my smartphone from my bedroom at night. 

3) Be consistent. Go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning, including on the weekends. If you do sleep in at the weekend, try to wake no later than an hour past your usual wake up time. 

4) Reduce irregular or long daytime naps Limit daytime naps to less than 90 min, or don’t nap at all. Sleeping in the daytime can confuse your internal clock, meaning that you may struggle to sleep at night. (See the following study to learn more)

5) Optimise your bedroom environment To optimise your bedroom environment, try to minimise external noise, light, and artificial lights from devices like alarm clocks. Make sure your bedroom is a quiet, relaxing, clean, and enjoyable place.

Our Bonus Tip

Sometimes, even with many of the above tips in place, you may still struggle to get enough quality sleep. 

If that is the case, you may greatly benefit from a non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) protocol. As recommended by Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., a neuroscientist from Stanford University School of Medicine:

‘Peer reviewed studies support that regular NSDR replenishes dopamine, reduces cortisol, and reduces total sleep need’. 

Here is a completely free NSDR protocol you can try on YouTube. 

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So there we are folks! It’s so interesting to learn about how all these aspects affect not only our health but our sleep quality as well. A good night’s rest is one of the most important things you can get in your daily life.

Sweet dreams!