Sleep training? Why would you need sleep training? Well, sleep is one of the most important elements to your training. It is very important during the recovery phase. Unfortunately, many of us bypass sleep to get in our training runs. For instance, we may wake up earlier to run before it gets too hot out or to get those miles in before work. However, are you making it a priority to go to bed earlier to make up for that lost time?

Why Is Sleep Training Important

Antonio Williams, M.S., NASM, P.E.S, Case Management Specialist, Health Educator from Cigna says that over time your central nervous system learns what muscles will produce the most efficient movement.

He says:

While you were asleep, your mind replayed your actions. It downloaded everything that worked and didn’t work while you tried to ride the bike. After a good night’s rest (about 7-8 hours for an adult) you set out to ride the bike again. This time, you were ahead of the game. Your body recognized all the pitfalls from yesterday and adapted. You were able to balance without falling and moved on to the next phase of bike riding. Then you had another good night’s sleep and repeated the cycle of motor learning.

How much sleep do you need?

Who knew that all that went on while you were sleeping?  So your sleep can be a critical role in not only helping with your recovery but also making you faster.  As Antonio says, 7-8 hours is a minimum for how much sleep you should get every night.  It’s important to be consistent with your bedtime – even on weekends.  And on weekends, it’s also important to get us close to your normal weekday routine so that you don’t suffer from weekend jet lag on Monday.