Sleep Your Way to the Top of the Podium

Want to know one of the most powerful performance enhancers for endurance athletes? It’s not a supplement. It’s not a gadget. It’s sleep.

Back when I raced pro, it wasn’t uncommon for me to get up to 10 hours of sleep a night. I know that’s not always realistic—especially with work, families, and packed schedules—but aiming for just 7.5 hours of quality sleep can make a massive difference.

Sleep is free speed. It’s your body’s natural, legal form of doping—in the best way possible.

Here’s what sleep does for you biologically:

   •   Muscle repair and recovery: Deep sleep triggers the release of human growth hormone, which is key for rebuilding muscle and recovering from training stress. Any disruption stresses this ability of our bodies to repair and grow.

   •   Immune system function: Sleep strengthens your immune defense, reducing your chances of getting sidelined by illness.

   •   Cognitive sharpness: Sleep improves reaction time, decision-making, and focus—all crucial on race day and during long training sessions.

   •   Hormonal balance: It helps regulate cortisol and supports proper metabolism and fat utilization. The more overworked we are, and the less we spend on relaxation and rest, the more our cortisol levels will elevate. If you are striving for improved body composition and performance, cortisol is not a friend.

   •   Glycogen restoration: Sleep is when your body replenishes glycogen stores—your endurance fuel.

Bottom line: Don’t just train hard. Recover smart. Sleep well and you'll find your way to the top of your fitness! Respect your rest, and it will pay you back with performance gains, day after day.

About The Author: Coach Amy Javens is the founder, owner, head coach of FLYT and owner of CycleLife Studio. She has been a coach for 30+ years, and raced professionally, with overall female wins in Beach 2 Battleship 140.6 and Ironman Los Cabos and personal bests of 9:25 and 4:26 in the IM and 70.3 distances. She has been a female leader in the endurance coaching industry for many years and was the training director for one of the largest charity endurance team organizations in the world. She lives near Pittsburgh, Pa with her husband, 3 daughters and 2 pups!