Sleep and Performance

Sleep isn’t just rest—it’s training.

In this episode, I explore how sleep shapes every aspect of athletic and mental performance. Drawing from the latest research in sports science, neuroscience, and physiology, this conversation breaks down what really happens during the sleep cycle, how it impacts recovery and skill development, and why consistent, high-quality rest is the hidden edge that separates good athletes from great ones.

Learn how to recognize the signs of sleep debt, understand the role of deep and REM sleep in physical and cognitive recovery, and apply practical, science-based strategies to improve sleep quality—from pre-sleep routines to optimal nap timing and travel recovery.

Whether competing at an elite level or simply striving to perform better in daily life, this episode offers actionable tools to strengthen the mind, body, and performance —one night of sleep at a time.

Transcript

Speaker: 0:01

I'm Dr. Nassim Ebrahimi, and welcome to Becoming My Stronger Me, a podcast designed to help you become stronger in mind, body, and heart. In season two, the mental performance series, we'll explore the intricate relationship between mental performance, sports excellence, leadership, and personal growth to help you become your stronger you. Today's episode is about something so simple yet so powerful that it can completely transform performance. Not just in sports, but in life. Today, we're talking about sleep. Sleep is often the first thing to get sacrificed when schedules fill up. Athletes will train for hours, dial in their nutrition, and still think of sleep as optional. But the truth is, sleep is one of the most potent performance enhancers available. And it's free, legal, and scientifically proven. Let's start by talking about what actually happens when we sleep. Sleep isn't just shutting down for the night. It's one of the most active recovery periods the body experiences. Each night, the body cycles through several stages, light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep. During deep sleep, muscles repair, tissues recover, and growth hormone is released. This is when the physical body rebuilds from the stress of training. Then, during REM sleep, the brain goes to work, consolidating memory, refining motor skills, and regulating emotion. In fact, studies show that athletes who get consistent REM sleep learn new plays and techniques faster because the brain is literally integrating what was practiced that day. One study published in the Strength and Conditioning Journal explained that deep sleep supports immune and hormonal balance, both crucial for athletes under heavy load. Another from the Flow Research Collective and Stanford University showed that basketball players who extended their sleep to around 10 hours improved sprint times and shooting accuracy by nearly 10%. Think about that. A measurable bump in performance, not from more reps or drills, but from more rest. So why is sleep so powerful? Because it affects nearly every system connected to performance. Reaction time slows dramatically with even minor sleep loss. Focus and decision making, essential for every sport, decline after just one night of restricted sleep. Sleep deprivation also impairs recovery. Muscles stay sore longer, inflammation rises, and the risk of injury increases. Some studies even show that athletes who sleep less than eight hours are 1.7 times more likely to get injured. But the other side of the story is that small improvements can make a big difference. Research from 2024 looking at rugby players found that athletes with consistent sleep and wake times, what's called sleep regularity, slept about 25 minutes longer on average and had fewer wakeups during the night. It wasn't just the number of hours, but the consistency and quality that mattered. So regularity may be just as important as duration. For coaches and parents, this is a reminder that late night practices, screens, and inconsistent routines aren't just part of the grind. They chip away at an athlete's ability to recover and perform. Now let's talk about what better sleep actually looks like. The sweet spot for most athletes is between eight to ten hours per night. That might sound like a lot, but recovery demands are higher for anyone pushing the body to its limits. For younger athletes, that number can be even higher. Creating structure around sleep can be as simple as keeping a consistent bedtime, even on weekends, and waking up around the same time each day. The environment matters too. The best sleep happens in a dark, cool, quiet room, ideally around 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Blue light from phones or TVs can suppress melatonin, so screens should be off at least 30 minutes before bed. Building a short wind-down routine, maybe stretching, journaling, or slow breathing, signals the brain that it's time to rest. Think of it like a pre-game routine, but for sleep. For athletes who can't always control their schedule, naps can help fill the gap. Studies show that a 20 to 30 minute nap can restore alertness and boost reaction time after a poor night's sleep. Longer naps, around 90 minutes, allow for a full sleep cycle, including REM and deep sleep, but should be timed to be earlier in the day, ideally between 1 and 3. And here's a small but important tip. Always allow about 30 minutes to fully wake up before jumping into physical activity to avoid that heavy grogginess called sleep inertia. Coaches, this is an area where leadership really matters. Teams that normalize recovery, including sleep, perform better and burn out less. Consider asking athletes to track how much sleep they're getting alongside their training load. Make it part of the performance discussions. Instead of asking, did you lift today or did you run today? Start asking, how did you sleep last night? That small shift reframes rest as a key component of training rather than an afterthought. Parents play a vital role too. Encouraging consistent bedtime routines, limiting screens, and prioritizing rest on travel days can help young athletes stay sharp and resilient. And maybe most importantly, model it yourself. When adults show that rest is part of a healthy, high-performing lifestyle, athletes are more likely to believe it. At the biological level, it's also important to remember that sleep happens in cycles of roughly 90 minutes. Each cycle includes phases of light, deep, and REM sleep, and every stage contributes differently to recovery. Waking up mid-cycle can leave you feeling groggy even after eight hours, while completing full cycles leave you refreshed. That's why tools like sleep tracking or even bedtime consistency can be so powerful. They help align that wake up time with natural rhythms. If you're listening to this and realizing sleep has been the missing piece, here's the good news: it's one of the easiest things to start improving. By adding 30 minutes to your nightly rest, notice how you feel after a week. Pay attention to your focus, your energy levels, and your mood, not just during workouts, but throughout the day. The bottom line: sleep isn't downtime, it's training time. It's when the body rebuilds, the brain resets, and the athlete becomes stronger. Without it, performance suffers. With it, everything gets better from skill learning to emotional control. So as you plan your next week of training, recovery, and competition, make sleep part of the plan. Treat it as a non-negotiable. The most successful athletes in the world do, and the science keeps proving why. Until next time, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast, join our Facebook group, send in your stories and feedback. And if you're looking for a mental performance coach or want more information, go to www.becoming my strongerme.com. I can't wait to hear from you.