Confessions of a Sleep-Deprived Athlete
We have gathered a group of people that are passionate about fitness, health span, and health. Each of us is time-starved from busy schedules that include family first, work, and training. This has led to a lifestyle of early AM training sessions out of necessity. To us, this is not a fad, a New Year’s resolution, or a quick fix. This is our life. We would like to share some ideas and secrets we have learned from this development. We have all learned from mistakes and benefited from maximizing this time.
Sleep is one of the most important tools for recovery and overall health. If you’re not sleeping enough or not getting high quality sleep, your physical and mental health will suffer. The recommended amount of sleep for the average adult is 7-9 hours. Very few people can get away with less and still perform at their best, but I’m guessing a couple of those people are in this group.
Ryan Nelligan (Ultra Runner, Running Enthusiast)
Personally I shoot for 7 hours of sleep minimum, ideally 8-9. I do the math backwards from when I have to wake up to decide on when I get in bed & when I should try to fall asleep by. If I’m waking up at 4am to workout / get ready for work, I’m going to be in bed by 7:30pm, and asleep by 8:30-9pm at the latest (yes I know I’m a grandpa).
We typically eat dinner around 5:30 - 6:30pm, and start winding down afterwards. This pretty much involves making sure our dog has gone potty, cleaning up dishes, and brushing teeth. We have a TV in our room and like to watch Netflix or YouTube videos as we fall asleep. Some say you should limit screen time before bed, but honestly I haven’t had an issue falling asleep or staying asleep so gonna keep doing what we enjoy.
Mistakes: The mistake I made for years was that alcohol helps you sleep. It may help you fall asleep, but is going to disrupt the quality. Ever since I gave up alcohol 1.5 years ago, my sleep has been great consistently.
Moose Herring, MD (Sports Med. Ortho):
Sleep is the greatest factor to improve performance at work and training. Sleep is one of the greatest contributors to being an effective Early AM Warrior! I think this is the aspect of wellness that I routinely get wrong. At this point in my life I have no excuse. Earlier in my career, as a father and surgeon, I would thrive on 4–6 hours of sleep. I took pride in functioning with little sleep. Being available for my kids and taking call for the emergency room caused havoc on my schedule. I know this was an incorrect assumption on my part. Sleep helps you recover. Sleep keeps you motivated and stable. I now set my schedule. I am a pretty rigid 9 p.m. to bed. I have tried many sleep aids like melatonin and magnesium which have made no difference. I don’t take any supplements. I have found that good old-fashioned fatigue is the best sleep aid. I make sure all lights are off and the room is cooler. I am usually quick to sleep. I am a very light sleeper. My kids will tell you I sleep with one eye open, and I hear everything. I think my sleep quality is poor. I wake up at 4 a.m. unassisted, ready to roll. This gives me 7 hours to rejuvenate. I understand through the sleep experts that 7 hours of poor quality sleep is not ideal, but life isn’t perfect. At this point in my life, 7 hours works for me. Set your routine. Create the perfect environment. Figure out what you personally need.
Mistakes: Early in my career, I “thrived” on little sleep. I convinced myself I was different. I had been an orthopedic resident during the 120-hour work weeks. I had taken a great amount of call, where I was commonly dealing with patient issues or trauma from the emergency room. I convinced myself I was good if sleep deprived. I wanted to be present for my kids. If they were up or out of the house, I stayed up. This was a mistake. No one is the best version of themselves when sleep deprived. Poor or inadequate sleep may be an absolute necessity at this point in life. Don’t convince yourself you are better with no sleep. Despite what your momma told you—you ain't special. You are at your best when you place value on sleep and rejuvenation.
Tricia DeNardis (Dr. of PT, Pullup/Pushup Queen, Fitness Badass)
I’ll start off with, “Do as I say, not as I do” with this one! Listen, I’m well aware that everyone out there will tell me to get 7-8 hours… but the reality of being a mom of 3 young kids, who also has fitness goals of her own, which are only able to take place at zero dark thirty in the morning? The reality is that it just isn’t happening in this season of my life. Between nightly sports/activities and kids that wake up in the middle of the night, I usually average 6 hours, which I am actually fine with, and my body naturally wakes up after this amount. I usually start the kids’ bedtime process between 7:30/8pm, depending on after school sports, this usually takes about 45 minutes of stalling between the 3 of them, then I will read in bed until I fall asleep (which takes all of 5 minutes usually, and is why I can’t finish a book in a timely manner for the life of me) All of this to say: I try to emphasize quality over quantity, focusing on what I can control (which isn’t much, but it sounds good right?!)
Mistakes: Burning the candle at both ends. Still a work in progress, but I used to stay up later to get extra “me time”, after the kids would go to bed, then turn around and be up really early. Now I try to get to sleep right after the kids go down, every little extra bit of sleep can help!
Jodi Cash (Nutrition Coach, Fitness Addict, Integrative Health Coach)
Sleep is one of those things that has been a constant work in progress for me. I aim for 7 hours a night, but rarely hit that goal, it’s usually closer to 6-6.5 hours (if I’m lucky). My husband laughs at me, because when I say I’m going to get ready for bed, he knows that process will take about an hour. I always pack my bags for the next day (clothes for post-workout and work stuff), take all my supplements (Magnesium glycinate, Neuromag, and progesterone), stretch for about 10 minutes, journal, and read once I finally make it to the bed. This routine is all an effort to help me sleep, so that I’m ready for the 4:30 alarm (to be at the gym by 5:10). The stretching, journaling and supplements are all to get my body and my mind in a better place to slow down and relax. Reading helps me shift my brain from work to anything else :)
Mistakes:
My biggest mistakes have been to think that I was functioning “well” on 4-5 hours of sleep. Once I prioritized getting more sleep and better sleep, I realized I wasn’t functioning nearly as well as I thought. Just because you can get through your day on less sleep doesn’t mean it’s great for your body and definitely for your athletic performance. Just like being so busy is not a badge of honor, only sleeping several hours each night is not a badge of honor that you want!
Final Thoughts:
Sleep isn’t optional, it’s essential. Whether you’re chasing fitness goals, raising a family, or managing a demanding career, quality sleep is the foundation that supports it all. We’ve each learned, sometimes the hard way, that sacrificing rest doesn’t lead to better results, just burnout. Prioritize it, protect it, and find what works for you.