How does poor sleep affect training?

Poor sleep can have a significant effect on your physical training and overall performance. Here's what Andrew Huberman has said about it:

1. Impact on Training: After a poor night's sleep, training the next day can lead to a reduced ability to perform and an increased chance of illness. In some cases, it might be better to skip training to focus on recovery, especially if the poor sleep was due to stress or discomfort. Andrew Huberman has personally had some good training sessions after poor sleep but acknowledges this is rare 1.

2. Physical Performance: If you have an event and wake up with only a few hours of sleep, your physical performance might not suffer significantly if you've already trained and practiced the necessary skills. Motor learning and recovery from exercise are thought to occur early in the night during sleep 2.

3. Illness Consideration: If you are sleep-deprived and feeling close to getting sick, you should be cautious. Mild symptoms can be a sign to throttle back on training intensity or duration to avoid getting sick. If you are already sick, it is often better to completely avoid training until you've recovered 3 4.

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     1

     Sleep and Training

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     2

     Sleep and Performance

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     3

     Training While Sick

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     4

     Training and Recovery

     02:25:48
     
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     5

     Exercise and Sleep

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     6

     Measuring Stress Load

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     7

     Sleep and Metabolism

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4. Sleep Timing and Training: Ideally, avoid training about 6 hours or more before your planned sleep time. If you must exercise closer to bedtime, using down-regulation breathing post-exercise might help manage the effects on sleep 5.

5. Overtraining Signs: Poor sleep or sleep deprivation can be seen in the classic signs and symptoms of overtraining—like performance decrements, higher resting heart rate, and mood disturbances—indicating a high total stress load, which makes measuring eye movements an interesting tool in assessing this issue 6.

6. Metabolism: Quality sleep is crucial for regulating metabolism, including sugar metabolism. A lack of sleep or poor quality can disrupt metabolic pathways that control appetite, linking sleep disturbances to metabolic syndromes, obesity, and type two diabetes 7.

In conclusion, the quality of your sleep is vital for optimal training and physical health. Sleep deprivation can negatively impact your physical performance and make you prone to illness, which can hinder your training continuity. It's important to prioritize good sleep hygiene for the best training outcomes.