5 ways to improve sleep and perform at your best

Sleeptember is upon us – the annual time of year that puts a focus on our sleep and highlights its benefits.

An apt time, then, to gain a better understanding of how sleep impacts fitness and any goals you may be working towards.

Experts have documented that good sleep is an essential part of your training, especially if you have your sights set on a new PB.

One study focusing on basketball players found their accuracy dropped by 50% if they were sleep-deprived. Meanwhile, athletes getting 10 or more hours of sleep can see an increase by 10%. That’s a potential difference of 60% in performance.

In fact, those sleep deprived see their time to exhaustion doubled and cognitive functions such as judgement and decision-making suffer.

Whether you’d class yourself as an ‘athlete’ or not, sleep still impacts our exercise routines, whether that’s the occasional morning run, or swimming session.

Here are five ways to maximise your sleep for your performance.

Sync your sleep

Every person has a 24-hour ‘internal clock’ which is known as the circadian rhythm.

“This is your natural sleep-wake cycle and building your routine around it is crucial,” says Jonny Kibble, Vitality’s Head of Physical Activity & Exercise.

“Our bodies are designed to work with nature to synchronise our sleep schedule, and by maintaining the same bedtime/wake time helps facilitate better sleep and in turn, your training” he says.

There are a few ways we can create a consistent sleep routine, Jonny recommends getting at least 30 minutes of sunlight exposure a day. Another is to avoid vigorous exercise too close to bedtime as this can hinder our sleep.

High intensity exercises such as HIIT, heavy weightlifting and swimming laps activate your sympathetic nervous system which releases adrenaline, and therefore keeps you awake.

Instead, try light exercise which is focused on relaxing your body and mind such as yoga and walking.

Don’t get into sleep debt

When it comes to sleep, both quality and quantity are important. As adults, we need between seven and nine hours of good sleep every night to feel our best.

If you regularly get less sleep than this, you accrue sleep ‘debt’ and, over time, this can leave you feeling exhausted and lacking in energy.

“Most of the adult population require around eight hours of quality sleep in order to perform at their best and a lack of sleep can have a real impact on mood and concentration levels, as well as leading to increased feelings of irritability or anxiety,” says Dr Roshane Mohidin, Vitality’s Associate Medical Director and NHS GP.

Naturally, it’s not always easy to get the optimum amount of sleep, what with young families and being unwell having a huge impact on how much quality sleep you’re getting.

If you struggle to hit the hay for seven hours, why not try napping?

Research has found that a midday nap can enhance alertness, mood memory and reduce stress.

“Ideally a nap should be around 20 minutes long as to not fall into a deep sleep and help you feel refreshed but not sluggish upon waking,” suggests Kibble.

Create a suitable sleep environment

More than 14 million Brits are suffering in silence with undiagnosed sleep disorders.

Workplace stress and financial worries were among the most common reasons for our lack of sleep, according to findings.

One way to get more of the Zs you deserve is through improving our ‘sleep hygiene’. According to the Sleep Foundation, sleep hygiene refers to both your sleep environment and behaviour.

Kibble explains: “Our body responds to cues around us – such as light and temperature – so creating the right environment can significantly improve our sleep quality and quantity.”

Some ways to create a better sleep environment include:

• Reduce noise in the room
• Keep the room cool, preferably between 16 and 18 degrees
• Lavender scent can help us to relax
• Consider getting blackout curtains to have better control of your sleep and wake time

Digital detox

Phones, tablets, screens and laptops all emit something called ‘blue light’.

 This type of light suppresses our melatonin production, which is the natural hormone that helps us to get ready to shut off and sleep.

 Natural melatonin – produced by our bodies – kickstarts our circadian rhythm, so being exposed to this light before bed can really impact our quality of sleep.

About 30 minutes before bed (longer if you can) try to avoid looking at any form of technology that emits blue light.

Why not instead try reading a few pages of your book or breathing exercises or meditation.

For light, try using candles and more orange light later into the evening, blue-light blocking glasses can help too.

Fit in regular daytime exercise

You may recall we said sleep and exercise go hand-in-hand.

“Movement and sleep are very much linked,” says Kibble.

“Getting enough exercise throughout the day can help improve our sleep quality and perform more optimally during physical activity.”

Exercise will look different for everyone, depending on abilities and goals.

According to Vitality partner FiiT, we should try to vary the types of exercise we do to improve overall fitness, incorporating a mix of cardio, weight training and conditioning – or full body movements that strengthen muscles and cardiovascular health.

Here’s an example of how you could split your week:

• Monday: Cardio day - walking with a goal to hit 10,000 steps
• Tuesday: Weightlifting - lower body focus
• Wednesday: Conditioning - full body focus
• Thursday: Rest day
• Friday: Cardio - cycling in the morning or on lunch break
• Saturday: Weightlifting - upper body focus
• Sunday: Rest day

The takeaway from all this? Well, it’s clear that “you snooze (more), you win”

By putting your energy into a consistent sleep and exercise routine, you will begin to see your quality of sleep improve and start to maximise your workout performance.