Sleep, Who Needs It?

We stress about too much stuff. Stressing about the good things in our lives should not be one of them.

In this case, I’m talking about sleep. 

No one denies that we can probably all use a little more. You feel more awake (duh), you recover better, and you feel better.

Sleep in the world of training is no exception and the discussion almost always begins and ends with “You need 8 hours of sleep”.

While I’m not going to refute that, I don’t think the 8 hour mark is as essential as it’s made out to be, for a number of reasons. The first of which, that while I know a lot of guys in great shape, I know very few who get more than 7 hours of sleep a night.

And, to be honest I can’t even remember the last time I got 8 hours.

So, what’s the point of this?

If you are not getting 8 hours of sleep, don’t stress about it. Yes, try to get more, but if you don’t and you are not aiming for nationals, it will probably work out. 

It’s not something to stress about, especially if you are spending those hours doing something else more worthwhile.

Besides even Arnold says you only need 6 hours.