This Is The Most Overlooked Performance Enhancer (Are You Getting It?)
This one thing will help you conquer the universe.
We’re gonna talk sleep, and why you, yes, you, are not taking full advantage of it.
Sleep is so effective you may as well call it a performance-enhancing drug, except it doesn’t just help you with fitness.
It will boost every aspect of your life, and I mean ALL of them.
“But Dr. Poulos, why should I be listening to you? Blah blah blah”
Ok fine, how about some direct evidence from some of the world’s highest-achieving people?
Roger Federer claims to sleep 12 hours. Usain Bolt, 10. Einstein, 10.
Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, all at least 7 or 8 hours.
Ronaldo sleeps for 90 minute periods 5 times a day.
SLEEP. IS. IMPORTANT.
In med school, I was chronically exhausted, had low energy, fatigue, brain fog, cravings, and found it harder to stay in shape.
I swear, these symptoms got exponentially worse with what every minute I slept less.
Less sleep made me feel big bad.
Comprende?
If sleep is such an important factor, then why don’t so many of use choose not to prioritize and optimize it?
And what if I told you that you might even get away with sleeping LESS.
Since I’m a doctor man, I’m gonna break down all the medical stuff you need to know in order to get more out of your sleep, and in turn, get more out of your life. Let’s get into it.
We “aS a SoCiEtY” have a problem with our circadian rhythm. That’s our bodies natural beat it marches to through our lives. Awake and sleep, awake and sleep.
Get the idea?
We throw this thing so far out of whack on a daily basis it’s ridiculous.
There’s a multitude of reasons for it, such as our insane caffeine overuse problem, the fact we’re addicted to social media and scroll endlessly on our phones in bed, depression, cortisol spikes, etc.
But if you want to get your sleep under control it all starts here: getting your circadian rhythm under control.
First tip: start viewing sleep as a period of cycles, rather than time.
Ever wake up before your alarm, feel great, fall back asleep, and wake up with your alarm but feel like your face is stuck to the pillow with more weight to it than a small neutron star?
This is because our sleep cycles typically last 90 minutes, and if you wake up in the middle of one, your body will not like you.
5, 90-minute cycles puts you at 7.5 hours of sleep, right at the mark that is touted by every source, the same thing that CR7 does. Your sleep cycle is divided into stage 1, 2, 3 (or deep sleep), and REM sleep.
You get much more stage 3 deep sleep earlier in the night, and more REM sleep closer to the morning.
I recommend 35 sleep cycles per week.
Why?
Because life happens and this leaves room to compensate for less sleep on one day with another day.
Remember: start thinking in cycles, not time.
Your body is a machine and functions as such.
So… are athletes actually sleeping 12 hours a day?
Getting 8 sleep cycles a night?
Can this be attributed to their performance, or is it a lie for marketing and media promotion… but then why are some people making a killing with 6 hours?
What’s the deal?
It’s because there are tactics to squeeze the most out of your sleep.
And I’m bout to tell you all the industry secrets, baby.
Ok, so: mornings.
How do we effectively wake up?
Spoiler alert, the method in which you wake up contributes to the quality you juice out of your sleep.
First off, put the alarm away from your bed.
Just… just do it ok?
You should have to get up to shut it up.
Next, natural sunlight.
Stick your face in the sun.
Open a window or go onto your balcony or walk into your yard, whatever works.
Your body responds to sunlight as a signal to be awake, it sets your circadian rhythm and it will kickstart your system to start being a functional human.
Consistency is key.
Me, and every other fitness person in existence is going to tell you this, because it’s TRUE.
Wake up at a consistent time.
Your body will get used to it, and over time you will find yourself enjoying a much more fluid morning wake-up routine.
Now for the toughest one for most of us: caffeine.
DELAY YOUR INTAKE.
Don’t wake up and instantly infuse your system with caffeine.
Wait at least an hour.
This will help with your natural cortisol release.
You will feel calmer and less stressed.
Additionally on the topic of caffeine, have a cut-off time in the afternoon.
The half-life is long and can bleed into your nightime routine, throwing off your sleep schedule.
Now since we’re on the topic of sleep, what about your evening routine?
If you want the best quality sleep, follow these tips:
Stop the late-night snackies.
Digestion can cause your body to work too much when you’re trying to fall asleep, that’s when you find yourself tossing and turning and staring at the ceiling waiting to knock out but it never happens.
Leave the food for tomorrow, sleep tonight.
Don’t drink a bunch of water before you sleep.
Nobody wants their body to kickstart them awake about to pop like an overfull water balloon in the middle of the night.
Now, if you really want to optimize, let’s talk about your environment. You should sleep in a dark room, obviously.
Black out curtains, maybe even an eye mask, whatever works.
Darker the better.
Also (and I’m sure some will disagree on this), keep it COLD.
Whatever cold is to you (high 60’s etc) do that.
This, accompanied by a pre-sleep hot shower helps your body cool down and go into a relaxed state, therefore slipping in to sleep easier.
Now if you really really want to optimize, track your sleep.
Use a diary if you’re old school, use a fitness band or watch if you want the detailed metrics.
Both can help track your progress and keep a direct record of what works and what doesn’t help with your sleep quality.
There you have it:
Tips, tricks, and Poulos-approved methods to get the most out of your beddie bye time.
The more of these you practice, the more quality your sleep will be.
That’s my guarantee. Now go get some sleep.
Doctors orders.
And if you need more help with maximizing a busy schedule with proper training and nutrition to build muscle, lose fat, or improve your health markers, fill out the application below and I will reach out when I have spots available!
Best regards
Dr. CP