Healthy Sleep Routine: Sleep better, train better

A consistent sleep schedule is one of the most powerful ways to boost both physical and mental performance.¹ Poor sleep can disrupt, or even worse derail, your fitness progress, and catching up on weekends isn’t enough to fully make up for those lost zzz’s.

Sleep is when your body gets essential recovery: muscles repair, your brain processes movement, and vital hormones are restored. Strong sleep means stronger workouts.

Here we delve into why routine is important for sleep, especially if you have fitness goals to smash.

The association between sleep and recovery is so strong that even one late night can affect your endurance, reaction time, and energy levels the following day.² Sleep deprivation is also linked to a higher risk of injury and slower recovery in athletes.³

On the flip side, maintaining a healthy sleep routine offers powerful benefits, including boosting:

• muscle repair and protein production
• immunity
• mood and motivation
• mental focus and clarity

In other words, when you sleep well, your body is better adapted to training, leading to faster progress. Meanwhile, regular exercise can increase sleep quality and reduce symptoms of sleep disorders,⁴ demonstrating that sleep and exercise truly go hand in hand.

The human body thrives on rhythm and routine. Your internal body clock, which controls your circadian rhythm and sleep-wake cycle, runs on a 24-hour schedule that determines when you feel awake and alert and when you feel tired and sleepy.

When your bedtime varies from night to night, it disrupts this natural rhythm and sleep pattern, making it harder for your brain to know when to produce melatonin, a hormone that’s released to help you start winding down.

As a result, this makes falling asleep at consistent times more challenging and waking up feeling refreshed less likely.

This highlights one of the critical reasons why sleep consistency is key for performance. Your body can learn to anticipate sleep, so you spend more time in deep, restorative sleep stages, including REM sleep, which is crucial for athletes.

Sleep is essential for both athletes and non-athletes because it contributes to long-term overall health and well-being. Good, quality sleep can help you feel restored, refreshed, and ready to perform at your best. In addition, it:

• Allows your heart to rest and your cells repair⁵
• Strengthens your immune system to prevent you from getting ill⁶
• Regulates your appetite, helping control overeating and unwanted weight gain⁷
• Reduces stress and promotes a better mood
• Improves reaction time and coordination⁸
• Boosts motivation

Maintaining a consistent sleep routine further supports recovery by reducing the energy cost your body pays to deal with sleep deprivation or sleep problems.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to the best bedtime routine – it’s all about finding what works best for you.

That said, the most effective routines typically include wind-down habits close to bedtime that signal to your brain it’s time to sleep. These activities can include:

• Taking a warm shower or bath
• Reading a book
• Light stretching and mobility exercises
• Mindfulness or light breathing exercises
• Reducing screen time and blue light exposure 1 to 2 hours before bed
• Dimming the lights

A solid routine also considers a consistent wake-up routine as well, which may involve:

• Setting an alarm for the same time every day
• Getting exposure to natural light for at least 30 minutes
• Hydration
• Light morning movement or stretching

Together, a consistent wind-down and wake-up routine form the foundation of good sleep hygiene – the habits and environment that support a healthy sleep cycle.

If your current sleep routine just isn’t working, or you wake up feeling more tired than when you went to bed, or you notice your performance waning during the day, small changes can have a big impact.

Here are a few simple ways to improve sleep quality with minimal effort:

If your bedtime feels too late and you’re not getting the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep, drastically moving it earlier all at once may not be that beneficial. Instead, try shifting your bedtime by just 15 minutes every few nights until you’re hitting your ideal sleep window.

Your wake-up time might be even more important than when you go to sleep. But like your bedtime, you must rise at the same time every morning, even on weekends. The best way to do this is to set an alarm.

Ensure your bedroom is optimized for sleep by following these sleep hygiene tips:

1. Keep the room cool; if it's too hot, it can keep you awake.
2. Block out light with blackout blinds or curtains to keep the room as dark as possible.
3. Keep your phone outside of your bedroom or set it to “Do Not Disturb”.
4. Choose a supportive mattress and breathable cotton bedding.
5. Keep noise to a minimum, depending on your preferences (some people sleep better with constant noise or soothing music playing).

A good rule of thumb is to avoid heavy meals that take a long time to digest, as well as caffeine later in the day. While alcohol may help you fall asleep faster, it can disrupt your sleep pattern,⁹ which is something to consider, particularly from a performance perspective the next day.

Moderate or vigorous activity can improve sleep quality. In fact, more than half of people report that exercise helps them get a better night’s sleep¹⁰ Regular exercise can help you fall asleep faster, increase sleep duration, and boost overall sleep quality.

Building a healthy sleep routine isn’t just about feeling less tired; it’s about showing up as the strongest and best version of yourself, both mentally and physically. By prioritizing your sleep habits, you’ll quickly see (and feel!) why quality sleep is one of the smartest performance strategies you can adopt.