Sleeping Soundly – Advice for Better Sleep
Sleep is the unsung hero of so many aspects of life. Good sleep is critical to recovery, physical performance, and mental health; for cyclists and athletes, a good night's sleep will probably make more difference than weight savings on your bike, or what you eat the night before a big ride. Yet, we do not, or sometimes cannot always prioritise sleep. There are multiple factors that can deprive us of good sleep: life factors such as work or family, as well as controllable factors known as 'sleep hygiene'. I became a dad at the start of this year – a 'life' factor, and the sleep deprivation is very real and uncontrollable. I have felt the effect on my energy levels, recovery and performance. The feeling of getting poor sleep, sometimes 2.5 hours a night for several weeks, made me realise how important sleep is to your wellbeing and your cycling. It also got me wondering, how many people suffer from poor sleep longer term? And while we cannot always control 'l...