If the scales have stopped and the bar feels heavy, the first question at the consult is not about food. It is "how are you sleeping?"
Section
What poor sleep does
- Hunger goes up and the food you want gets sweeter and saltier.
- Strength drops and the same session feels harder.
- Recovery slows, so you are sore for longer and skip the next one.
The seven things, in order
- Same wake time every day. Including Sunday. It anchors everything else.
- Caffeine cut-off at 2pm. Earlier if you are doing the 6am classes.
- Screens down 30 minutes before bed. The phone goes on charge in another room if it has to.
- Cool, dark room. Blackout blind or an eye mask. Scottish summer light at 4am is a real problem.
- Alcohol is not a sleep aid. It knocks you out and then wakes you at 3am. Two drinks costs a night's quality.
- Eat earlier if evening training makes you wired. A proper meal after the 5:40pm class, then wind down.
- Do not lie there. Awake for more than 20 minutes? Get up, dim light, boring book, back when sleepy.
Shift workers
The rules bend but do not break. Protect a fixed sleep window, black out the gym in daytime, and read the shift-work guide for which sessions fit.
When to see the GP
Loud snoring with pauses, falling asleep in the day, or weeks of insomnia are GP conversations, not coaching ones. Go.