Sleep is a priority for me because when I’m rested, I train well and compete well. When I don’t get enough sleep, or have a bad night’s sleep, I immediately feel my performance suffer. As I train 30+ hours per week, I’m pretty knackered at the end of the day and it’s not too hard to fall asleep, but there are a few rituals I try to stick to to ensure that I am comfortable and can get the best night of sleep possible.
- I try to have a set time every night for going to bed. For my husband, Tim, and I, this is no later than 10 PM.
- While I don’t use them every night, I do like essential oils. For sleeping, I like lavender from doTerra which we put in a diffuser. Lavender was used by the Egyptians and Romans, to promote relaxation, and I really feel it helps me relax.
- About one hour before bed, we try to put away our computers and despite it being a screen, we like to watch TV together, usually while wearing our NormaTec boots. How romantic right? We turn off “work” and “training” talk and get sucked into a good show or movie.
- Keep it cool! Tim likes to sleep at 68 degrees. It’s definitely a little on the cooler side but I prefer cooler temps over warm temperatures that can make you sweat at night, and in turn, toss and turn and wake up. I just use a big blanket and get cozy.
- No matter how busy the day gets, we try to get eight hours of sleep per night. Sometimes an early morning session only allows for seven hours, which means that a late morning nap is very likely on order for that day.
Finally, a good mattress is key! Think about it – we spend about half of our lifetime on a mattress, so why not invest in the best one you can get? I demoed a ReST Bed™ at the Ironman Boulder Expo last wear and loved how I could customize five different zones of the body to relieve pressure where I needed it most! The bed also adjusts in real-time which means that if I move in the middle of the night, the bed moves with me! Tim also loves it because we can each customize our own firmness and program our own weight, as each side of the bed operates independently. The ReST Bed™ is a game changer for how I sleep and recover. And as an athlete, I love anything that gives me an edge over my competition!
