Sleep Better! (Top 5 Tips for CrossFitters)

[@WODprep]

SLEEP BETTER BLOG POST - wodprep.com/blog/how-to-sleep-better/ FREE ULTIMATE RECOVERY GUIDE - wodprep.com/RECOVERY/

[@ztremblay21]

Love it. Literally just talked to my spouse today about focusing more on quality of sleep because my quantity of hours hasn't been optimizing my recovery.

[@WODprep]

Boom! I was reading your mind 🧠

[@cfcoachkev]

Thanks for the video folks! Much appreciated. On piece of feedback: It'd be amazing if you could bump up the volume / improve the audio quality of your recordings. Currently I need to pull the controllers all to the right to get a decent volume.

[@WODprep]

I just passed this onto the video editing team! We will make it happen!

[@Luciana-Superluci-Marchi]

I fixed my sleep quality and injuries with the Lion Diet . Amazing. I recommend. Of course I stopped with caffeine many years ago. OMAD in the afternoon also helps, I mean avoid late suppers.

[@WODprep]

Hmmm. Glad you found something that worked for you! But OMAD is very difficult to get enough micronutrients (or calories). These tips hopefully can help!

[@Luciana-Superluci-Marchi]

@@WODprep oh no! You eat the same but in one meal. I don’t eat micronutrients. Meats &organs, specially liver, contains everything nutrient you need, vitamins minerals. You can check on “the carnivore code”. Furthermore you don’t have to think about “calories “. Calories are actually useless, it’s a mith . In the end calories are a number. What do you do with a number? Proteins are the most important. Proteins from the Greek PROTOS: First. Then FAT for hormones production. Try the lion diet and then you ll understand.

[@rachelpeart5727]

Evening workouts was a very interesting point

[@WODprep]

Thanks Rachel!

[@mamamal3]

Pretty aware of it all, especially since I‘ve read Matt Walkers „Why we sleep“ but I have a guess that my evening CrossFit sessions are quite disturbing my sleeps 🙈🙈🙈

[@WODprep]

GREAT book! And yes, those evening sessions are tough!

[@IsaacRoth]

Thanks Ben. I've been tracking with a fitbit watch... Should I consider moving to a different wearable tech? If you could only pick one wearable tech for CrossFit, which one would you choose? Also, your scale and bail podcast does a great job putting me to sleep.

[@WODprep]

Fitbit works! But I think you have to pay extra (monthly!) for HRV readings.. not 100% sure. I LOVE the Oura ring for tracking sleep. That's my #1. But I don't use it to track activity. If you want both sleep and activity, then Whoop. Overall.. Oura is the one I will keep... along with my Garmin Fenix 6 just because I like wearing a watch :)

[@thirdzyHQ]

I agree with Ben. I really like my Oura for sleep tracking and the Whoop is my preference as an activity tracker. Depends what you need it for - do you have trouble tracking how much training you're doing? If you're like most CrossFitters, you probably don't need help staying honest with your training, but you may need help knowing when to focus on rest and recovery. For that reason, I generally recommend the Oura over the Whoop. But honestly, they're both excellent and you cannot go wrong with either.

[@IsaacRoth]

@@thirdzyHQ you nailed it, I struggle on knowing when and how much time give to rest and recovery... I'll check it the Oura. Thanks!

[@9spartan40]

Great stuff! For rule #5, should people wake up in a warmer room? If so, I’ll adjust my AC settings. Thank you🧘🏻‍♂️

[@thirdzyHQ]

It really depends on your preferences. Slightly warmer (like a couple of degrees difference max) towards the end of the night (in the morning before you wake up) is better for REM sleep. If you have a thermostat that you can set to change at certain times, go colder earlier in the night and then back closer to your normal day time room temperature a couple of hours before you wake up.

[@9spartan40]

@@thirdzyHQ Thank you!

[@rainamagwani5361]

Would love to explore tip#4 but UK weather is always on some madness 🙁

[@WODprep]

All the more reason to move to always-sunny Colorado! :)

[@thirdzyHQ]

Try a light box to replicate the experience of getting early morning light into your eyeballs. Add it to your morning routine - put in your bathroom and turn it on while you brush your terrible English teeth (jk!!!) or next to your coffee maker - stack them good habits! Early morning sunlight is such a small thing that is such a powerful anchor for your body's natural rhythms! Hope you find some success with it

[@SaraPomerance]

What is the most affordable wearable you recommend for tracking sleep? Thanks so much!

[@WODprep]

I really like the Oura ring for tracking sleep!

[@SaraPomerance]

Thanks so much! What would you say is the most affordable way? That’s definitely Out of my price range :)

[@thirdzyHQ]

We have lots of experience with Whoop, Oura, AppleWatch and Garmin. None are inexpensive. Check second hand markets (facebook, craigslist, etc.) AND Black Friday is approaching! Keep your eyes peeled for deals from your preferred wearables - we happen to like Oura a lot, but all the ones we mentioned are pretty great!

[@SaraPomerance]

@@thirdzyHQ thanks so much. I am seriously on a limited budget! What is the minimal I may spend to track my sleep, particularly improve? Thankfully I am able to track my lifts on Wodify. Simultaneously I am year round bike commuter as I don’t own a car. I am alway pushing the pace and happy with this. It is truly sleep I need to improve. Many many thanks again!

[@edal1179]

It’s hard for me to get morning sunlight when I start work at 6am (hospital) before the sun is even up. 2ndly should I wake up at the same time even on my days off? I’m only getting 5/6 hours of sleep a night. Work / family / school. Help…?

[@david23686]

If 5/6 hours is the most you can get during the week then you are probably sleep deprived - the best way to combat this is to try get to bed earlier (even 15 minutes per day), catching up on sleep at the weekend is not a great solution but does have some small benefits. If natural light is not an option for you, you could try something like a Lumie Sunrise Alarm. Hope this helps!

[@WODprep]

I'd agree with David's response. On days you CAN get sleep... get it. I really would love to see if you can get that 5/6 hours closer to 6/7 or even 7/8 hours if possible!

[@thirdzyHQ]

Great suggestions here. I know how hard it is to get adequate sleep when you have a schedule like this. I did it for years and it was just plain difficult. You're not aiming for perfection, but progress. Try getting to bed earlier whenever you can (whether weekday or weekend). Keep as close a schedule on the weekends to your regular weekday schedule as you can. Your circadian rhythm doesn't know if its the weekend or not, so I'd suggest erring on the side of consistency in your weekend vs. weekday sleep schedule and see how you feel. I know that when I was only getting 5/6 hours during the week and then trying to catch up to 8 hours on the weekend, I actually felt worse - not tired, but foggy all day and a bit out of sorts. Also David's lightbox suggestions is spot on. Getting this early light in your eyeballs can really help anchor your internal clock. Hope this helps!