91 - Sleep Expert Dr. Amy Bender

Endurance Innovation is now on Patreon! Have a peek at our page and show us some love.1:30 meet Dr Amy Bender3:00 an overview of the importance of sleepOne of the pillars of healthImpacts nutritionAbility to execute trainingChronic poor sleep associated with a number of negative health outcomesImpacts injury riskImmune health7:30 sleep quantity guidelines7 - 9 hours, depending on training loadMore training requires more sleep9:15 can you get too much sleep?There’s a correlation with sleep outside of the 6.5 - 9 hours and increased prevalence of depression. The effect appears bi-directional.15:30 consistency in sleep is important16:30 the value and ‘how tos’ of napsOnly 20% of Canadian National athletes were napping, and they are missing out20’ naps have valueSchedule naps into your trainingNaps contribute to weekly sleep durationAvoid naps too close to bedtime: 1200 - 1600 idealShort naps should be short enough to avoid deep sleep: <30’Long naps should be long enough to allow a full sleep cycle: >90’23:00 the phases of sleepNon-rem: divided into phases 1 through 3, with stage 3 being the deepest stage where a lot of the physical recovery takes place. The majority of phase 3 occurs in the first half of the night. Rem sleepOne full cycle is ~90’Sleep phases are impacted by our actions during the day, but difficult to control28:30 how does waking up at night affect sleep quality and sleep stages?30:30 the effects of stress on sleep31:30 techniques for falling asleep after waking in the middle of the nightGood, consistent, pre-sleep routinePut away electronicsTake a warm bath / showerStretch Read a paper bookWrite a to-do listBreathing technique: 4-7-8 or snake breathingCognitive shuffleAvoid staying in bed for longer than 20’ trying to fall asleep. Instead, do a relaxing - non-screen based activity in a different environment. And only return back to bed when you feel sleepy.36:30 sleep quality. With high quality sleep classified by:Following asleep in less than 30’, waking up only once per night, being awake less than 20’ during that wake-up, and spending more than 85% of total time in bed sleeping.38:15 seek professional sleep help if above conditions are chronically not met38:45 improving sleep qualityExerciseReduce caffeine intakeAvoid alcohol42:45 quality or quantity?43:15 an audio device to improve sleep quality44:15 sleep disruption from sleep partners 🤬45:45 the seriousness of snoringPlease send any questions you have about sleep to [email protected]. Check out Dr. Benders excellent questionnaire and guidance on sleep and follow her on Instagram and Twitter.