As we age sleep is harder and harder to get. I fancy myself an amateur athlete and like to perform at my peak when I'm out on the track, pool, or even just lifting weights at the gym. So why don't I take my sleep as seriously as my training?
I never knew how poor my sleeping habits were until I started tracking myself with Whoop. It keeps track of my breathing, heart rate, and heart rate variability. It also monitors how much I toss and turn and is very acute as to when I wake.
While looking at the data, my low sleep has directly impacted my ability to recover from my long workout sessions. There is research that suggests that sleep deprivation increases levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. Lack of sleep has also been seen to decrease your body's ability to produce glycogen, the energy you use during physical activity. You will feel fatigued, low energy, and poor focus when it's "go time".
To add more to the importance of sleep. People who sleep fewer than 7 hours were three times more likely to develop a cold after direct application of a cold virus than those who got an optimal amount of sleep. Your immune system seems less likely to fight back those nasty viruses and your sleepy butt is left holding the bag...of snot.
So in short. SLEEP MORE!
Get a free WHOOP strap and your first month free when you join with my link: https://join.whoop.com/#/6A49BB