Is sleep important?
Yes, no doubt about it!
But, are you so
worried about sleep that it's taking away from other areas that could have more benefit? Maybe...
This is a concern that arises among those who are typically already quite invested in their health and fitness, but it's most important for those who lead busy lives that limit the time they have for exercise. Let me explain.
I recently started work in the hospital, meaning that I now have fewer free hours in the day. If I woke at 7 or 8am, it would be physically impossible for me to train, as I am at work all day, then I move onto my Triage work in the evening when I'm home. Therefore, I am faced with a choice:
1.) Wake up earlier, sacrificing 1-2 hours of sleep, in order to exercise.
2.) Don't exercise, but get an extra 1-2 hours of sleep.
As you can probably guess, I choose option 1.
On average, I sleep approximately 6 hours per night. This isn't necessarily "optimal", but it's sufficient for me to be able to function well physically and cognitively, as well as gaining the vast majority of the recovery and rejuvenation benefits of sleep. As an athlete, dare I call myself that, I would likely gain some benefit from moving into the 7-9 hour range, but in order to achieve this, I'd have to... not train.
You can see where the dilemma arises.
From a health perspective, my position is that 1-hour of exercise per day has benefits disproportionate to 1-hour of sleep, and therefore exercise should be prioritised if one is forced to choose, whether that be due to work, school, parenting
responsibilities, etc.
Sleep is important. In fact, we have one of the most comprehensive sleep mega-articles on the internet on our website. But, some people worry too much about their sleep, which has
become increasingly prevalent in the last 5-10 years since the publication and widespread promotion of sleep-related benefits and harms, one example being the publication of "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker in 2018. This book was riddled with false and hyperbolic claims that caused a great amount of anxiety among those who now worried about a doubling of
cancer risk from sleeping < 6 hours per night (total nonsense).
Here's what I am not saying:
- Sleep doesn't
matter.
- 4 hours sleep is the same as 8 hours sleep.
- You should sacrifice sleep to train early because you need to train early.
Sleep well. Work on sleep hygiene. If you can get 7-9 hours, fantastic, please do. If you don't have the time due to genuine commitments, you'll be grand, and while skipping the gym once or twice a week to sleep a bit more
is probably no harm, I'd rather see you choose exercise over more sleep in most cases.
If you have any further questions about this topic, you are welcome to respond to this email and I will get back to you.
