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Sleep Illiteracy? Sleep Education? Sleep Management? Is it really a big deal? We\u2019ve all been sleeping our entire lives, but do we even think about sleep correctly?\xa0

Luke Gupta graduated from the University of Bath with a B.Sc in Sport and Exercise Science and completed an M.Sc in Exercise Physiology at Loughborough University. Currently, Luke is conducting a part-time PhD Studentship into Sleep and Athletic Performance in collaboration with the English Institute of Sport.\xa0

He worked with some of the Rio Olympians across many different sports on their sleep habits. In this episode, Luke shares with us what his research and experience has shown him about how the function and significance of sleep in an athlete's life.\xa0

The way Luke talks about \u2018sleep\u2019, it sounds like an actual entity with it\u2019s own set of rules.\xa0

For those of us who have spent many nights waiting anxiously for sleep to overtake our racing minds, he may not be far off.\xa0How can people who have difficulty falling asleep learn these rules and thus manipulate them to our advantage?\xa0

Listen as Luke decodes the inner workings of sleep, confronts myths that have permeated our \u2018understanding\u2019 of sleep and gives us all practical methods for getting all the sleep we\u2019ll ever need.\xa0

• The roles our genetic and early adolescent personality traits play in determining the sports we excel in.
• Is 8 hours a night really the magic number for sleep for everyone?
• Does going to bed early equate to more rest?
• How Circadian Rhythms affect our sleep habits.
• Why your bed should not be a multitasker.
• Internal vs. External sleep aids
• Performance vs. well-being
• Is it possible to front-load sleep before a race?

3:30 How did you get into your current field and position?

6:05 Has your experience reaffirmed that this is the area you want to focus on?

6:51 What does your job look like? What are some of your favorite parts of working with athletes regarding sleep and performance?

9:05 How did you help the Rio Olympians optimize their sleep for their competitions?

11:12 What differences did you see between the different types of sports / athletes?

15:01 Does all this apply to recreational athletes as well as Elite Athletes?

17:05 What are some common myths about sleep and can you debunk them?

18:40 How does anyone know what their optimal amount of sleep is?

22:45 What if someone gets up unusually early, say for a 4:00 a.m. flight; what should they do to catch back up on their sleep?

24:45 Other myths you\u2019d like to bust?

26:46 What has your researched uncovered about how sleep affects changes to performance, motivation and physiology?

31:12 What are some of the things that you\u2019ve found help people fall asleep?

34:17 If someone\u2019s mind won\u2019t shut down when they\u2019re trying to fall asleep, what should they do?

38:13 What are the pros and cons of using sleep aids?

43:18 Other suggested sleep aids or behavioral sleep aids?

45:04 How can we avoid psyching ourselves out while waiting to fall asleep?

47:17 Based on your research, how close is the correlation to sleep and performance?

50:53 What should someone do to manage anxiety the night before a race?\xa0

54:03 Do you have any planned research we can keep up to date with?

58:40 The Final Kick Round

\u201cMy research recently found that there\u2019s big differences between sports and how the athletes sleep and perceive sleep.\u201d

\u201cListen to your body.\u201d

\u201cSleep is quite an automated process in that if you\u2019ve had a bad night\u2019s sleep one night, the next night\u2019s sleep will, more likely than not, be that much better given the opportunity. That\u2019s just how sleep works.\u201d

\u201cYou can\u2019t just say if you\u2019ve had a bad night\u2019s sleep you\u2019re going to perform poorly.\u201d

\u201cThe way sleep works is: the longer you stay awake, the sleepier you feel.\u201d

\u201cWhen you try to do anything with sleep, that\u2019s when it tends to go wrong.\u201d

Dr. James Maas on Run To The Top podcast

Dr. James Maas Pillow - Bed Bath & Beyond

English Institute of Sport

Consumer Reports - Blue Blocking Glasses

Luke's research published in Sports Medicine journal

Follow Luke On Twitter

Book: Ultramarathon Man

Polar RC3 GPS Watch

http://tinamuir.com/sleep-therapist/

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