Ideally, the adequate amount of sleep to promote optimal health and to avoid the health consequences is between seven and nine hours. If you are Campy, it's 20 hours a day. Because sleep affects how your body performs and functions when you are awake, how much you sleep and the quality of your sleep are equally important. Without a good night's sleep, your immune system, ability to think and learn, glucose metabolism, reaction time and mood can become compromised. Therefore, sleep is critical in athletic success and optimizing health.
For most athletes, you probably squeeze in workouts early in the morning or late in the evening due to a busy, rushed and exhausting life schedule. If you are like most sleep-deprived athletes, you've likely become very accustomed to relying on your alarm to help you get out of bed - regardless of how tired you felt the day before. In addition, there's likely an extra cup or two of coffee to survive the day and sadly for many, energy drinks are the norm for an afternoon wake-up.
It's important to practice good sleep habits such as;
- Sleeping in a quiet dark room without electronics
- Avoiding stimulants and alcohol in the afternoon/evening
- Having a regular bedtime and wake up routine
- Not eating a large meal too close to bed
- Minimizing very early or very late training sessions
- Allowing yourself one day a week to wake-up without an alar
If you've recently noticed a change in sleep pattern or you chronically suffer from restless sleep, this may be a sign that your body is overly stressed.
It's one thing to intentionally limit yourself from adequate sleep but what if you are unable to get a restful night of sleep? What are your sleep habits telling you if you are constantly waking in the middle of the night, tossing and turning and perhaps, waking-up covered in sweat?
Here are a few thoughts as to what your sleep habits are trying to tell you:
- Increasing your training load (volume and/or intensity) without adequate rest and recovery can overload your system. This can increase inflammation, which alters serotonin function, which affects your mood and sleep. Additionally, lack of proper recovery can lead to higher resting heart rate, an inability to increase your heart rate when exercising and decreases the strength of your immune system. If you are not sleeping well, you may not be adapting well to your training load - either from too much volume/intensity, not enough fuel/nutrition to support training, inadequate recovery, or a combination.
- During sleep, your liver is a very important organ. Your liver secretes glucose to maintain blood glucose levels and supply the brain with fuel. By the time you wake-up, 60-80% of your liver glycogen has been used by the cells in the body (this is why you should eat a small snack before your early morning workout). If you are not refueling properly post workout or exercising late in the evening, you may be experiencing night-time hypoglycemia. Signs of low blood sugar include sugar cravings, night sweats, rapid heartbeat, headache, nightmares and lack of appetite or nausea in the morning. If you are not sleeping well, your blood sugar levels are likely out of balance and need to be corrected through a dietary intervention.
- Insomnia is a common feature among individuals who are following a low carb or low calorie diet. Serotonin is a brain neurotransmitter that helps calm your brain to help you sleep so it's no surprise that the dieting or overtrained athlete would suffer from sleep issues. Whether you are having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, your diet could be to blame. Two red flags that your diet is to blame is if you are relying on sleep aids to help you fall asleep but also relying on stimulants such as caffeine, to maintain energy levels throughout the day.
- Stress can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay sleep, which means sleep quality will be heavily affected. With so much on your mind, it's easy to feel tense and anxious, causing you to toss and turn. It may also be difficult to lower your HR or blood pressure, making you feel tense. Instead of becoming addicted to sleeping aids, get to the root of your sleeping issues. Don't let insomnia take over your life. Reach out to a professional who can help. For starters, keep a note pad by your bed to right down your thoughts instead of trying to sleep with too much on your mind.
- Dehydration can affect your sleep just as overhydrating can affect your sleep. Dehydration can disrupt your body's normal rhythm (similar to overtraining) so that you don't feel tired when you should - you are exhausted in the morning but feel alert in the evening. You may also feel a dry throat at night, which causes you to overdrink throughout the evening. Overdrinking can cause excessive urination - or frequent trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Be mindful of your fluid intake - including alcohol and caffeine. Try to spread your fluid intake out over the course of the day and stay well hydrated during your workouts.
What are your sleep habits trying to tell you?