Somewhere between our fancy electronics and all of its conveniences, we devalued the simple habit of a good night’s sleep. It’s somehow bragging rights to hear someone say, “I’ll sleep when I die.” Or, “I don’t need more than 4 hours of sleep a night.” Clearly, if you believe this you aren’t sleeping much because if you were feeling the benefits of a good night’s sleep, you would want to continue feeling this way.

Lose a few unwanted pounds

According to a study published in 2014, researcher from the University of New South Wales in Australia, concluded that when weight is lost, the majority of it is breathed out as carbon dioxide, during sleep. If you’re a runner looking for ways to speed up, some estimates project that losing ten pounds can result in a savings of 20 seconds per mile.

Improve your mental stamina

Staying driven to exercise and keep fit means a good mental attitude. Rest and recovery during sleep isn’t just for the body only, it is for the mind too. A person with a clear mind can react faster

Boost your immune system

Sleep can help you stay in the game more often if you’re not busy being sick. The fastest way to lose fitness is to get sick and not be able to workout.

The research has been done but until you do it yourself and reap the benefits, it’s hard to believe that you can sleep your way to being fit sooner than later.

3 Good sleep hygiene habits:

1. Turn off all electronic devices (TV, cell phones, computers, etc) 1 hour before bedtime
2. Ensure your room is dark with no sleep disruptions in your bed (snoring bed partner, pets)
3. Schedule 8 ½ hours of sleep time

Ready to get started with good sleep habits? Evaluate your sleep routine by tracking your sleep habits for a week using this sleep diary provided by the National Sleep Foundation.

Additional related articles on sleep and exercise
http://running.competitor.com/2014/05/recovery/better-sleeping-for-better-running_77427
http://www.gssiweb.org/Article/sse-113-sleep-and-the-elite-athlete
https://sleep.org/articles/how-sleep-affects-athletes/

Trasie Phan, Founder Phan & Co

www.trasiephan.com

Trasie Phan the founder of Phan & Co, a sports marketing agency specializing in producing record breaking endurance events and representing ultra-endurance athletes. She and her company are internationally known for producing the Guinness World Record breaking transcontinental USA run from San Francisco City Hall to New York City Hall Sep12 to Oct 24, 2016. She is also an endurance athlete who combines her personal knowledge and training in endurance sports with her professional expertise as a sleep health consultant for over 6 years to advise endurance athletes on sleep health and human performance.