Why Sleep Matters

Issue No. 10 : Tips on how to optimize your sleep and get the hours you really need

Since I’m out and about all day I often take my nap in the car with seat slightly reclined or head to the beach after lunch for a more comfortable nap in the sand. Photo: Per Håkansson.

Few things matters more than a good night’s sleep. Just ask any elite athlete and they will tell you that you need at least 10-12 hours of sleep per night. Sleep is essential to peak performance – both mental and physical – to recover and grow.

"Sleep is probably the greatest legal enhancing performance drug that few athletes are abusing enough.” – Matthew Walker, neuroscientist.

Roger Federer famously slept ten hours per night with an added two-hour afternoon nap in-between practices. So did Usian Bolt and Michelle Wie: "When I can, I'll sleep more than 12 hours, and I don't feel very good if I get less than 10."

Yet sleep is what we cut out first when we are busy and have too much going on in our personal and professional lives. But when we do, the same things happen as for elite athletes: we perform worse and increase the risk to get injured.

The body and mind both need to rest and recovery after hard physical and mental work. This is something that is starting to get accepted in the sports world but not yet in the corporate world.

Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, recently told his employees that 60-hours per week is the “sweet spot of productivity” according to a leaked internal memo. He added that these hours should be from the office during the workweek.

If you do the math you quickly realize that sleeping the recommended 7-9 hours per night plus working 12 hours per day doesn’t give a lot of time for either family, food, commuting, or personal interests and could backfire in the long term.

What happens during sleep is essential to our physical and mental health, and longevity by allowing the body to repair itself, consolidate memories, regulate emotions, boost the immune system, and optimize brain function, which ultimately leads to better cognitive performance, improved mood, and reduced risk of chronic diseases when adequate sleep is achieved.

Key benefits of good sleep include:

• Brain function:

  During sleep, the brain processes information, strengthens memories, and removes waste products, leading to improved learning, concentration, and decision-making abilities.

• Physical health:

  Sleep is crucial for regulating hormones like growth hormone, which is important for muscle repair and tissue growth, and contributes to maintaining a healthy immune system.

• Emotional well-being:

  Adequate sleep can help manage stress, improve mood, and reduce the risk of developing mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.

• Metabolic health:

  Sleep deprivation can disrupt blood sugar levels and increase the risk of developing chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

• Overall performance:

  Getting enough sleep enhances reaction time, improves physical coordination, and allows for better performance in work and daily activities.

Since I started to work out 1-2 hours per day in July last year I’ve been increasing my sleep from an average of seven hours per night to an average of nine hours per night plus the occasional short afternoon nap and I can really feel the difference.

And after having read 5-10 books on peak performance, nature’s sleep is by far the most effective rest and recovery strategy that exists. So forget about everything from ice baths to supplements and just go to bed earlier to recover faster.

Tips for better sleep: