Understanding Sleep for Optimal Performance.
- Joseph Thirkhill
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
One of the most overlooked foundations of performance is sleep. Without it, everything else becomes harder — sessions feel heavier, recovery slows down, and progress stalls.
we’ll break down what sleep actually is, why eight hours really matters, how poor sleep impacts your body, and what you can do to improve your sleep hygiene and maximise results — both in and out of our West Bridgford gym.
What Is Sleep, Really?
Technically speaking, sleep is a recurring, reversible neurobehavioral state where we disengage from our environment to allow the body and brain to recover. In simpler terms, it’s a form of temporary unconsciousness that lets us reset physically, mentally, and emotionally so we’re ready to perform the next day.
Sleep isn’t just about rest — it’s an essential recovery process that impacts everything from hormone balance to muscle repair, cognitive function, and immunity.
The Real Effects of Poor Sleep
Lack of sleep doesn’t just make you feel groggy; it affects your entire body system. Here’s how:
Weakened Immune System
Poor sleep compromises your immune response, making you more likely to get ill — and stay ill longer. When you're sick, high-intensity training is off the table, and nutrition habits often fall apart too.
Cognitive Impairment
Brain fog, poor memory, slower reaction times, and low mood are all common signs of inadequate sleep. It affects your ability to focus, make decisions, and stay motivated across all aspects of day-to-day life.
Weight Gain
Where sleep doesn't directly cause weight gain, lack of sleep influences the behaviours that do. Sleep-deprived bodies often crave sugary, processed foods to compensate for low energy. Hormonally, poor sleep increases ghrelin (your hunger hormone) and cortisol (your stress hormone), while suppressing leptin, the hormone that helps you feel full. The result? More cravings, poorer food choices, and potential weight gain over time.
Decreased Physical Performance
If you’ve ever tried to lift heavy or push hard in a small group personal training session or team training class after just four hours of sleep, you know it's not going to go well. Fatigue compromises strength, power, coordination, and even your risk of injury. Sleep impacts your Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and is a key pillar of your RaW Score (Readiness and Wellbeing), which we use to track your performance readiness across the week.
Find out more about RaW and RPE in our Power of Recovery for Performance article. Click >> here <<
Why You Need Eight Hours
You’ve heard it before — aim for eight hours of sleep. But why?
Because during those eight hours, your body cycles through five key sleep stages several times.
Stage 1: Light drowsiness
Stage 2–3: Heart rate, breathing, and body temperature decrease
Stage 4: Growth hormone is released, aiding muscle repair
REM Sleep (Rapid Eye Movement): Memory processing, emotional regulation, and brain development.
If you're only getting five or six hours, you’re not getting enough REM cycles meaning your brain and body are missing out on the full benefits of recovery.
Sleep Hygiene: What Helps You Sleep?
Improving sleep starts with building better habits. This is called sleep hygiene, and it plays a huge role in how quickly you fall asleep and how deeply you stay asleep.
These are some key sleep strategies to think about.
Create a Sleep Schedule... and stick to it!
Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day - even on weekends (most of the time!) Routine is a powerful ally for your body’s natural rhythm.
Take a hot bath on rest days.
A warm bath (especially with Epsom salts) helps reduce muscle tension, promote relaxation, and prepare your body for sleep.
Cut out caffeine late in the day.
Aim to have your last caffeinated drink before 12pm - sounds early right? But even if you think it doesn’t affect you, it may still be disrupting your sleep quality.
Create a Pre-Bed Wind-Down Routine
Give yourself 30–60 minutes before bed to switch off from screens, work, or intense thinking. Reading, stretching, meditation, or taking a hot bath can all help reduce stress and signal to your body that it’s time to sleep.
Avoid going to bed hungry or too full!
Digestive discomfort can keep you awake. Try to finish eating at least 1–2 hours before bed... even when the late night snack hunger hits!!
Cool the room you sleep in. A slightly cooler bedroom is proven to promote better sleep. If your room is too warm, your body has to work harder to regulate temperature, which can disrupt your sleep cycle.
What Helps You Sleep?
Everyone’s different. For some, it's reading. For others, it's a calming film, yoga, meditation, or simply switching off screens 30 minutes before bed.
The key is to build a pre-bed routine that works for you. Start experimenting and notice what helps you feel genuinely relaxed and ready to rest.
Remember, Sleep Is Not A Luxury.
Sleep is a non-negotiable part of training and training well. If you’re aiming for long-term results, better energy, stronger performance in sessions, and fewer injuries, it starts with what you do outside the gym.
It’s this holistic approach to training that truly sets us apart. We take the time to understand our members, how you move, how you recover, and how you're sleeping, so we can adjust targets when needed, adapt sessions in real time, and make sure you're always getting the most out of your time with us — even when you've had a sh1t night's sleep!!
Speak to your Fitness Collective coach. We’re here to help you build the habits that support your training, recovery, and overall performance — in a way that’s personal, sustainable, and proven to work.
Did you know that alongside Small Group Personal Training sessions and Team Training classes, we also offer 1:1 Personal Training at our West Bridgford gym >> Personal Training <<
