Optimizing Sleep

We all know sleep is important, but I’m willing to say sleep is the foundation on which our wellbeing is built.  Most people go to sleep every night and wake up every morning to feel ready for the next day. I want to take it a step further and optimize sleep within our sleep and wake time so that it is as efficient and effective as possible. When we rack up multiple nights of poor sleep, it compounds and creates longer recovery for our bodies. In other words, one good night of sleep is not going to leave you fully refreshed. To fully recover we need to work on our sleep, here are a few ways to go about it:

Pay attention to your body’s circadian rhythm. When do you naturally feel tired at night, and “want” to wake up in the morning? Make your sleep times as consistent as possible. Wake up and go to bed at the same time every single day. If you go to bed 2 hours later every Friday/Saturday night, you are essentially feeling jet-lagged going into the week. Cut caffeine intake after 1pm everyday, and stop eating by 7pm. Both of these actions allow your body to fully process and get rid of what is in your body before bedtime. Give yourself the hour before bed to turn off computers, televisions, and any other artificial light. Allow the relaxation and wind-down period to set in without distraction.

A lot of times, we are laying in bed for long enough but the quality of sleep is not present. If this is the case for you, make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, and cold enough. Get some early morning sunlight, sunrise to 10am is always best. Negative stress effects sleep in a big way, so get that in check. Food and booze close to bedtime will generally start metabolism and keep you awake when you want to be revving down.

We take sleep very serious at Boulder Athletics and hope you do too. Give a few of these tips and try and see how they impact your sleep routine for the better. 

As always….we can’t wait to see you in the gym!
Coach Emily