If you think your deadlifts are impressive, wait until you see what a solid night’s sleep can do for you. According to Dr Phathokuhle Zondi (who, let’s be honest, sounds way smarter than your 2am Google search on “Why am I still awake?”), sleep isn’t just downtime – it’s prime time for physical, mental, and emotional recovery. And if you’re skimping on it, no, unfortunately you can’t just “catch up” on the weekend (even if you treat Saturday like an Olympic event in napping).
First up, let’s talk about “sleep hygiene.” No, it doesn’t mean showering before bed – though, hey, you do you. It’s all about the habits that help you sleep better. Dr Zondi breaks it down into three easy categories:
- Routine and timing: “Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day – yes, even on weekends when Netflix is trying to seduce you into ‘just one more episode’.” Establish a calming wind-down routine too – think reading or gentle stretching, not scrolling through memes until your eyeballs burn.
- Lifestyle factors: Limit caffeine and alcohol before bed. (Translation: maybe not that 10 p.m. espresso martini.) Also, get some daylight during the day because your circadian rhythm loves a good sunbath.
- Environment: Make your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. And, importantly, “keep your bed sacred – it’s for sleep and intimacy only, not late-night emails or TikTok marathons,” says Dr Zondi.
Your body doesn’t just lie there snoring during sleep, it’s getting stuff DONE. Sleep has stages: light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep. Dr Zondi explains:
- Light sleep is like the warm-up lap.
- Deep sleep is when your body turns into a full-on repair shop, fixing tissues, boosting immunity, and releasing that sweet, sweet growth hormone.
- REM sleep? That’s brain bootcamp – sorting memories, managing emotions, and apparently starring in that weird dream where you forgot to wear pants to work.
Miss out on any one stage? It’s like building a house without the walls. Looks fine from a distance… until it rains.
According to Dr Zondi, the biggest sleep thieves are:
- Stress: When your brain decides 2 a.m. is the perfect time to revisit that awkward thing you said in 2012.
- Lifestyle choices: Late-night caffeine binges, heavy dinners, and that innocent “one glass” of wine… that turns into three or four.
- Environmental factors: Bright screens, noisy neighbours, and that weird blinking LED light from your Wi-Fi router.
Solutions? Build a calming bedtime routine, banish caffeine after mid-afternoon, and stop doom scrolling before bed. Your brain will thank you – probably with fewer weird dreams.
If you’re hitting the gym hard (or even just pretending to in your WhatsApp groups), sleep is your MVP. Deep sleep is when muscle repair, energy restoration, and immune system boosting happen. “Athletes who prioritise sleep see better reaction time, improved endurance, and faster recovery,” says Dr Zondi. (And yes, that includes weekend warriors.)
Bad sleep messes with your metabolism by making you hungrier (thanks, ghrelin) and less satisfied (looking at you, leptin). It also dulls your brain faster than a group chat argument about where to go for brunch. Chronic sleep deprivation increases your risk of weight gain, diabetes, and mood disorders. Basically, if you want to be a functioning human (and rock that gym selfie), you need your zzz’s.
Here’s your ‘quick win for better sleep tonight’ game plan, courtesy of Dr Zondi:
- Stick to a consistent bedtime.
- Keep it cool, dark, and screen-free before bed.
- Get some sunlight in the morning.
- Maybe swap your 10 p.m. doom scroll for a book (yes, a real one made of paper).
As Dr Zondi reminds us, “Sleep isn’t a luxury, it’s a biological necessity.” And if that’s not reason enough, remember: after just 18 hours awake, your performance is as bad as if you’re legally drunk. Yikes.
So, next time you’re bragging about how little sleep you need, just remember there’s no prize for being the most exhausted person in the gym. Go home, get some quality sleep, and wake up ready to conquer your workouts and your life.