The Practice of Sleep

A simple but overlooked part of our training, recovery and in turn growth.

In the 24hrs of our day, we make time to do certain things. These being: going to work or school, eating, working out, socializing, and relaxing/enjoyment. All of these serve a great purpose in our life of longevity and happiness as people. Every person puts a different priority on to these domains in an effort to live the life they get to create for themselves. If you are a high performing athlete, your priority for instance is probably centred around training and eating. Others may be prioritizing success in which work, learning and socializing are the main focuses.

Now what is the primary thing that we as human beings need in order to continue to maintain and improve high levels of performance? Sleep.

Our bodies simply cannot continue to operate without it. It even comes down to the simple physiology of it in that our brains need it in order to flush out toxins built up during the day.

We simply can’t think of sleep as this thing we do because it is just good for us or will somehow help us continue on with our days. We have to see the whole picture. The ability to flush toxins, rebuild muscle, sort our thoughts in the brain, bring clarity, and restore balance in our body. In simple terms sleep is the restart and update button for our bodies.

Going back to what we prioritize in our individual seasons of life, you can see how it not only focuses on the benefit in a particular person but the human species in its entirety. We were created to require sleep not just fit it in our day. 

My challenge to you is to prioritize at least 7-9hrs of sleep. This will look different for people in different situations, but the underlying fact doesn’t change. Sleep heals, restores and allows us to reach high levels of performance.