I can’t tell you how often I see people fucking up their progress by getting too little shuteye. I’ve had clients averaging 4 hours a night due to a variety of reasons – kids, work, stress, general ignorance. You name it.
You think they had enough energy for training? You think they supported heavy training through proper nutrition, much less planned for it?
Hell no.
They got sick ever so often. Stalled in the weight room. Ate whatever they could get their hands on at the moment.
If there was only one thing to fix in your recovery right-fawking-now, it would be this:
Make sure you get 8-9 hours of sleep every night.
Yeah, I know. You can’t. CSI is on. And you gotta get up early for work.
Fuck off.
When you were a kiddo, you got bigger and stronger by eating a ton of food and napping like a narcoleptic dog. Who changed the rules now that you’re a “grown-up”?
Today I’m gonna keep things short, sweet and simple – Vida Guerra style.
Here are my top 5 ways for becoming a sleeping beauty…
1. Make bedroom as cool, dark and quiet as possible.
Pull down the shades, use ear plugs if need be. Adjust the heat – slightly chilly is mucho bueno. Toss out all electrical devices.
The bedroom is only for getting in the Z’s (and O’s), not watching late night talk shows or skimming through unanswered e-mails (see #3).
2. Get new sheets. Satin or Egyptian cotton. Whatever.
You spend a third of your life in bed. Buy the best accessories you can afford.
3. Stop staring at a screen an hour before bed time.
Technology affects our sleep via cognitive stimulation. As your brain revs up, its electrical activity increases and neurons start to race – the exact opposite of what should be happening before sleep.
4. Read fiction prior to lights out.
John Grisham and David Baldacci are some of my favorites for a literary sleeping pill.
5. Set and stick to a sleep schedule.
Tossing and turning between the sheets – often caused by a messed up circadian rhythm due to cognitive stimulation via electrical gadgets or stress – will raise cortisol levels, make you even more stressed up and further prevent you from getting some of that elusive shuteye.
Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends.
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