Sleep.
The most underrated recovery you’re ignoring.
Everyone wants more energy.
Better fat loss.
More muscle.
Better recovery.
Less stress.
Better mood.
Yet one of the biggest things that affects every single one of those gets sacrificed for another episode on Netflix or an hour doomscrolling.
Sleep.
It’s not glamorous.
There’s no supplement company making millions by telling you to get an extra hour in bed.
But if sleep came in a tub, I might start selling my soul to the devil and promote this stuff.
“I Wake Up In The Night… Is Something Wrong?”
Probably not.
One of the biggest myths about sleep is that you’re supposed to fall asleep, stay asleep for eight uninterrupted hours and wake up refreshed.
Unfortunately, that’s not actually how we sleep.
Every night, your brain cycles through different stages of sleep, roughly every 90 minutes or so. You know this isn’t the case at all times if you have a sleep tracker.
Now, each stage has a different job.
Light Sleep
This is your body’s warm-up.
Your breathing slows.
Your heart rate drops.
Your muscles begin to relax.
You spend around half of the night here.
Deep Sleep
This is the proper recovery shift.
Your body repairs muscles.
Releases growth hormone.
Supports your immune system.
Recharges physically.
If you’ve had a hard training session, this stage is worth its weight in gold.
REM Sleep
Rapid Eye Movement sleep is where your brain gets busy.
Learning.
Memory.
Emotional processing.
Problem solving.
Dreaming.
While your body is recovering in deep sleep, your brain is making up some random shit and tidying things up.
You need both.
We All Wake Up During The Night
Everyone wakes up.
Several times in fact.
Most of us simply don’t remember it.
When we’re younger, these awakenings are incredibly short.
You roll over.
Adjust the duvet.
Go straight back to sleep.
Your brain doesn’t bother saving the memory.
As we get older, those awakenings often become longer.
Suddenly you’re aware you’ve been awake.
You check the clock.
You start doing maths.
“It’s 3:12… if I fall asleep now I’ll get two hours and forty-eight minutes…”
All this does is wake yourself up properly.
The 3am Club
If you’re going through perimenopause or menopause, the famous 3am wake-up can feel like someone’s scheduled it into your diary.
Hormonal changes, particularly fluctuating oestrogen and progesterone, can make sleep lighter and increase the chances of waking during the night.
Add in hot flushes, night sweats, stress, or simply the fact life is already fucking mental…
…and you’ve got the perfect recipe for staring at the ceiling wondering whether it’s acceptable to stab your partner because they are lying there snoring or whether it’s acceptable to start that list you’ve been meaning to do
It doesn’t mean you’re broken.
It just means your sleep has become more fragile.
This requires a different strategy, not panic.
The Worst Thing You Can Do
Lie there.
Wide awake.
Trying harder.
Sleep isn’t something you can force.
The harder you try…
The less likely it becomes.
If you’ve been awake for around 20 minutes and can feel yourself becoming frustrated…
Get up.
Keep the lights dim.
Leave your phone where it is.
Read a few pages of a book.
Do some gentle breathing.
Listen to relaxing music or a calming podcast.
Have a caffeine-free herbal tea if your into that.
Then, when you feel sleepy again, head back to bed.
Your brain should associate your bed with sleeping and other things.
Not with lying awake worrying about whether you’re sleeping.
“But Won’t Getting Up Wake Me Up More?”
Not usually.
Lying in bed stressing is often far more stimulating than quietly reading a book under a soft light.
Think of it like this…
You’re waiting for sleep to arrive.
Don’t chase it.
What Else Helps?
No magic.
Just boring things that work.
- Get outside in daylight as early as you can.
- Keep roughly the same bedtime and wake-up time.
- Exercise most days.
- Keep your bedroom cool, dark and quiet.
- Limit alcohol close to bedtime. It helps you fall asleep but often wrecks the second half of the night.
- Avoid heavy meals immediately before bed.
- Try to reduce bright screens for the last hour before bed.
- Don’t keep checking the clock.
What Happens If You Don’t Sleep Well?
One poor night’s sleep won’t ruin your life.
Despite what social media would have you believe.
But consistently poor sleep can make life much harder.
You may notice:
- Lower energy.
- Increased hunger.
- More cravings, especially for sugary foods.
- Slower recovery from training.
- Reduced concentration.
- Lower mood.
- Reduced patience.
- Poorer decision making.
- Reduced immune function.
It doesn’t make fat loss impossible.
It doesn’t make muscle gain impossible.
It just makes both feel like you’re trying to cycle uphill into a hurricane.
Stop Chasing Perfect Sleep
One bad night doesn’t mean the next day is ruined.
One rough week doesn’t mean you’ve got insomnia.
The occasional rubbish night is part of being human.
The goal isn’t perfect sleep.
It’s better sleep, more often.
At The Fox Den we spend a lot of time talking about training and nutrition.
But sleep is the thing that joins everything together.
Recover better.
Think more clearly.
Move better.
Feel better.
And if tonight isn’t a great night?
Don’t panic.
Tomorrow night is another chance.
Sleep isn’t a test you pass or fail.
It’s a habit you keep giving yourself the opportunity to improve.
