8 hours of sleep is a myth - sports edition

Have you ever been told you have to get AT LEAST 8-9 hours of sleep a night. Did you always feel like a failure when you didn’t? I have felt this way many times and always put so much pressure on myself to get 8-9 consecutive hours of sleep in row. No matter how much I slept, I always woke up groggy.

Not to mention that sleep is a precious commodity when you work in the sports industry. How am I supposed to get everything done, attend games, solve problems, put out fires, and still sleep. Without sleep I was gaining weight, mentally drained, stressed out, and really tense. I went on a quest to not only become an early riser, but to also have better sleep quality. After speaking with various people including athletes, I was put up on game about a book entitled The Myth of 8 Hours, the Power of Naps, and the New Plan to Recharge Your Body and Mind by Nick Littlehales.

The author is a Sport Sleep Coach and has worked with elite athletes to improve their sleep and recovery with much success at the top teams and leagues. He then created a program for us common folks to help us improve our sleep without any major purchases. His technique was later named the R90 Technique and it is beneficial in improving not only sleep, but recovery, performance, and mood.

I used to roll out of bed at 8-9am or later feeling groggy and exhausted even though I got “enough sleep”. Once I even when to the doctor because I thought there was something physically wrong with me. Turns out, I wasn’t actually sleeping well and not getting deep sleep. I wasn’t listening to my natural circadian rhythms because I didn’t speak their language. I was not looking at sleep in 90 minute cycles, but rather was trying to force myself out of deep sleep and expecting to be able to function at the 8-hour mark. I was not implementing morning and evening routines or limiting light exposure at night.

Once I recognized that I could sleep in phases, the game changed for me. Humans naturally have nap times built into our bodies. From 1-3pm and 5-7pm it is perfectly fine to take a 30 or 90 minute nap without disrupting our nighttime sleep. You don’t even have to actually fall asleep, but just be still and not disturbed so your body can relax. Most humans also only need around 4-5 cycles of sleep which is 6-7.5 hours. Some need more and some need less, but Nick’s techniques help you find the sweet spot. When you begin to look at your sleep as a form of recovery, it kind of takes the pressure off yourself.

When you are in deep sleep and not light sleep, your body regenerates and produces HGH along with carrying out other very important processes in your body to keep you healthy. If you are having trouble sleeping, please reach out to Nick Littlehales and his team, grab his book, and follow him on Instagram. You won’t regret it.

And if you want to get serious about time blocking, building your business strategically, and goal setting for success then book a consultation with me.