Sleep Before, During, and After COVID-19
Henry Toraño is very mindful of what he tells his clients, and when it comes to sleep he knows that people are in vastly different starting points in terms of how well they sleep. If there is one point that Henry nails home all throughout our conversation, it’s that rhythm in people’s days is critical to sleeping consistently well.
Will the average person likely sleep better prior to, during, or after COVID-19 if they hadn’t implemented consistent habits already?
Depending on where somebody started - prior to COVID-19 - will likely determine how well they sleep after, but Henry expects that most people will sleep worse post pandemic because they will be going back into a stressful environment without quality rhythm and habits built.
Sleep is highly regulated by hormones. People need melatonin to fall asleep, but when they have adrenaline and cortisol (think stress) in their system, they either won’t fall asleep or they won’t be able to stay asleep throughout the night. Additional stress from new economic tension, potential to contract the virus by being in public, trying to work and still take care of kids who are out of school, or a myriad of other stressors will enter for people, and if they don’t build quality habits they will have difficulty sleeping well which, as Henry noted, can cost 20+% performance gains for each additional hour of good sleep lost (not just sleep lost, quality sleep lost).
Will the average person likely sleep better prior to, during, or after COVID-19 if they hadn’t implemented consistent habits already?
Depending on where somebody started - prior to COVID-19 - will likely determine how well they sleep after. But Henry expects that most people will sleep worse post pandemic because they will be going back into a stressful environment without quality rhythm and habits built.
Sleep is highly regulated by hormones. People need melatonin to fall asleep, but when they have adrenaline and cortisol (think stress) in their system, they either won’t fall asleep or they won’t be able to stay asleep throughout the night. Additional stress from new economic tension, potential to contract the virus by being in public, trying to work and still take care of kids who are out of school, or a myriad of other stressors will enter for people, and if they don’t build quality habits they will have difficulty sleeping well which, as Henry noted, can cost 20+% performance gains for each additional hour of good sleep lost (not just sleep lost, quality sleep lost).
How do you help people sleep better?
Henry’s response was very clear, “Maintenance of rhythm, hands down!”
When people don’t have consistent rhythm, their bodies don’t secrete hormones consistently, so they can’t go to or stay asleep consistently.
If somebody had great rhythm prior to COVID-19, they want to stay consistent with that during and after COVID-19 as best as they can. For people who had very inconsistent rhythm - ie, very inconsistent schedules, going to sleep and waking up at very different times, eating/drinking at different times each day, binge drinking, etc… - with each new rhythm habit that goes into place, they can expect to begin sleeping better and better.
Henry mentioned that of his clients who needed to sleep better at the beginning of COVID-19, 100% of them are sleeping better 2-3 months since because they are much more aware of their rhythm and are taking control of their schedules and rhythm/habits.
How can people build rhythm and sleep better as they come out of lockdown from COVID-19?
Henry mentioned that it’s critical for people to take control of their schedule as much as they can. Henry said that almost everybody is able to control their schedule, at a minimum, a bit better than they do today, so it’s crucial to do so to then sleep → perform better.
Rapid Fire Questions
Is a hotter or colder environment better for sleep? (within a reasonable range haha)
Colder
Is eating closer to or farther away from bed better for sleep?
Farther away
On a scale of 1-10, how important is rhythm to sleeping better?
12
What is the #1 reason why most people don’t sleep well typically? (outside of the word “rhythm”
People aren’t aware of or have been ridiculed or called lazy because they sleep more
Do teens need more less sleep than adults?
More
Are we being ass holes for waking teens up prior to them sleeping enough hours?
Yes
How many hours of sleep does an athlete typically need each night?
9 hours
How much performance will each hour of lost quality sleep cost athletes?
20-30% per hour, but it depends on the person
For sleep, what is the most important thing to think about when people come off of COVID-19?
Improve rhythm
Best of luck with training and stay safe out there!
Cheers!