👋 Hey there pack members,
This weekend we’re heading to Leadville, and will be sharing how the 50 mile run and sleep before and after the race goes. What else is happening in the world of sleep and fitness? Keep reading for this week’s highlights!
⛰️ Lagoon Goes to Leadville
This Saturday, July 8th, we’re going to Leadville, where I’ll be competing in the Silver Rush 50 Mile trail run. I’ve been training for the race for most of 2023, focusing on building up my base and managing quality sleep through the process. My biggest weekly mileage was 62 miles (including a 33 mile and 12 mile Sat/Sun double), and my best sleep scores got into the mid 90’s! I’ll be sharing the journey on Instagram and on Strava - including how I sleep before and after; acclimate to the altitude; and then all the fun of race day. They say practice what you preach - so I’m excited to share how my sleep and fitness preparations translate in Leadville.
🎾 One Man’s Attempt to Sleep Like Novak Djokovic
Ben Rowell from the Telegraph was so impressed when he heard Novak Djokovic describe his commitment to sleeping 8.5 hours per night when interviewed at the French Open last month, that he embarked on the challenge to sleep like Djokovic himself. To do this, he adopted the R90 approach that Nick Littlehales uses for Djokovic, Cristiano Ronaldo, and unnamed troves of elite athletes. The philosophy is that 11x 90 minute blocks throughout the day are what lead to optimal sleep through the night. Or as as Peter Attia puts it “the overarching point here is that a good night of sleep may depend on a good day of wakefulness: one that includes exercise, some outdoor time, sensible eating, with no late-night snacking, minimal to no alcohol, proper management of stress, and knowing where to set boundaries around work and other life stressors.” Three weeks into the experiment and Rowell reports that he’s sleeping much better and his tennis game has improved too.
👟 Nike CEO John Donahoe’s Approach to Managing Sleep in a Hectic Life
You would imagine that if you’re sitting in the CEO chair at Nike, that there’s some expectation the job is SO important that there’s no way you could manage to get proper sleep. According to John Donahoe himself, it does sound quite challengint - but he’s come up with his own formula that’s working for him. While he may not get the prescribed 7-9 hours per night, he aims to get 70 hours every 10 days (for an average of 7 hours per night). There are medical professionals who will tell you why this won’t suffice, or the approach is wrong, etc. However, the mere fact that Donahoe has a system, and is putting sleep on his priority list is a step in the right direction for corporate America.
🥷 American Ninja Warrior Give Candid Insights into Lackluster Sleep Routine
Joe Moravsky is one of the most tenured and accomplished athletes to compete on American Ninja Warrior. He recently sat down with Sleepopolis to share more about how he views his sleep leading up to and during competitions. Honestly, I was surprised that sleep does not seem like a priority at all for Joe, as he readily admits to going to bed at 2am and waking up by 8am. Joe notes that his sleep quality has declined substantially around the births of his last two children, and his results suggest that there’s a strong correlation to how he performed in those seasons. ANW doesn’t make it easy on its athletes either, as they host the competitions overnight - often running the course until the sun comes up. It’s already amazing to see the nimble feats these athletes can muster - and it makes me wonder what they could do on a full tank of gas!
📱💤 What Should You Take Away from Your Sleep Data
Nowadays it’s not hard to get a device or app that tracks your sleep - pretty much anyone can do it. But how do you analyze the data to make tracking your sleep worthwhile? The Washington Post recently published a nice summary of the basic data points most sleep trackers register, and explains their value from most important to least. Rightfully so, “total time asleep” tops the list, followed by: sleep stages; heart rate variability and breaths per minute. If you’re new to tracking your sleep or know you have major deficiencies - I highly recommend starting with “total time asleep” and getting that number to trend in the positive direction. If you’re more advanced and looking to fine-tune or optimize your sleep and health, that’s where you can learn more about and look at positive trends in the other metrics. Another favorite of mine is WASO (wakefulness after sleep onset), as it tells you how restful your sleep is.
That's it for this week's sleep news highlights. Stay tuned for more exciting updates on optimizing your sleep and health, and remember to follow @lagoonsleep on Instagram for your daily dose.
