Fitness & Thinking Fridays: the sleep edition
Here's how to get more of/from it.
From the top: sleep is weird.
We spend a third of our lives unconscious, hallucinating vividly while our bodies become paralyzed – all so we can wake up, live life and do it all over again.
Biologically speaking, sleep is a non-negotiable recovery process. Your brain clears waste, your muscles repair, your metabolism regulates, and your hormones reset. Skip sleep long enough, and you’ll feel drunk, sick, emotionally unhinged, and eventually dead (don’t try this at home).
If we could function without sleep, evolution would’ve phased it out. Instead, every single species on Earth with a brain sleeps – from humans to ants to dolphins, who literally sleep with one brain hemisphere at a time so they don’t drown.
Clearly, it’s important. But if you’re waking up feeling like you got dropkicked into consciousness, something’s off.
What we really mean when we say we get 6, 7, or 8 hours a night
People love to flex their sleep deprivation, but let’s break this down:
You go to bed at 11PM and wake up at 7AM. That’s 8 hours, right? Wrong.
If you scrolled for 40 minutes, took 20 minutes to actually fall asleep, woke up twice, and had an alarm screaming in your ear by 6:50. You got about 6.5 hours, max.
Most of us overestimate our sleep, and it’s not just about total hours – it’s about sleep quality.
Sleep stages: REM versus deep sleep (and why they matter)
Your sleep isn’t one long, uninterrupted coma. It runs in 90-minute cycles, rotating between light sleep, deep sleep, and REM (rapid eye movement) dream sleep. Each has a job:
Light sleep
The warm-up lap. Your body chills out, your brain files memories, but you can wake up easily.Deep sleep
The body-repair phase. Muscles rebuild, growth hormone spikes, and your immune system gets a tune-up. Short on deep sleep? You’ll feel physically wrecked.REM sleep
Brain maintenance. Your dreams happen here, and REM helps process emotions, sharpen thinking, and lock in skills (which is why napping helps with learning). Miss out on REM? You’ll feel mentally shattered, particularly if it happens multiple nights in a row.
It’s great if you got 7 hours of sleep, the real question is: how much of it was deep and REM?
Can we improve sleep? And what are we actually improving?
Yes – but improving sleep isn’t just about “getting more.” It’s about getting better quality sleep, so you wake up feeling rested, recovered, restored and not like a sentient zombie. Here’s how:
Diet: eat for sleep, not just for gains
Your evening food and drink choices impact your sleep more than you think.
🚫 Caffeine
If you drink a 4PM coffee, half of that caffeine is still in your system by 10PM (Walker, 2017). It blocks adenosine, the chemical that makes you feel sleepy, meaning your body wants to sleep but chemically can’t. Even if you (think you) have a tolerance to the caffeine buzz, try switching to decaf by mid-afternoon and tell me after a couple of weeks how you feel.
🚫 Alcohol
It’s not a sleep aid, it’s a sedative. It might knock you out faster, but it wrecks REM sleep and causes fragmented, low-quality sleep.
✅ Protein and carbs
A small protein and carb meal before bed can improve sleep (St-Onge et al., 2016). Think Greek yogurt + banana or eggs + toast.
✅ Magnesium
Found in dark chocolate, nuts, and leafy greens, magnesium helps regulate melatonin and relax muscles.
✅ Tryptophan
Found in bananas, turkey, and dairy – tryptophan helps produce serotonin, which converts into melatonin (Hudson et al., 2005). If you wake up hungry in the night, a banana with peanut butter or a small bowl of oats with milk could help stabilise blood sugar and prevent wake-ups.
Temperature: cool down for better sleep
Your body needs to drop its core temperature to fall asleep – which is why hot summer nights can feel impossible for getting some shut-eye.
Here’s how t fix it:
Keep your room around 18°C (65°F) – the sweet spot for sleep quality (Harding et al., 2020).
Take a warm shower before bed – your body cools itself after, which helps signal sleep mode.
Stick your feet out of the covers – they help radiate heat.
Bedding: pillow and duvet setup
Not everyone has access to a high-end mattress, but your pillow and duvet matter more than you think. A supportive pillow that keeps your neck aligned and a temperature-regulating duvet (lightweight in summer, heavier in winter) can massively improve sleep quality, even on a suboptimal surface. If you’re waking up with neck pain or overheating in the night, your bedding might be sabotaging your sleep.
Supplements… that could work
Most sleep supplements are overhyped – but some have promising potential benefits:
✅ 5-HTP: converts into serotonin, which can help regulate sleep, but research is limited and mostly anecdotal (Shen et al., 2017).
✅ Ashwagandha: traditionally used for stress reduction, some evidence suggests it may help with sleep by lowering cortisol, but more research is needed (Healthline, 2024). Anecdotally, ashwagandha feels like the missing piece of the puzzle of my ideal sleep routine – but you might benefit from taking a break from it every three months or so.
✅ Magnesium glycinate: may reduce stress and improve sleep in people with deficiencies.
🚫 Melatonin is for jet lag, not everyday use.
TL;DR – how to actually sleep better tonight
Track your real sleep time.
Just because you’re in bed for 8 hours doesn’t mean you slept 8 hours.Control caffeine.
No coffee after 2 PM.Cut alcohol.
It sedates you but wrecks sleep quality.Eat smart.
Small protein + carb meal before bed can help.Cool your room.
18°C (65°F) = peak sleep conditions.Ditch screens before bed.
Blue light = sleep delay.Consider 5-HTP or ashwagandha if stress keeps you up.
Sign-up for my 10kgs in 10 weeks transformation challenge closes today
This challenge is for you if…
☀️ You want to stop wearing baggy clothes to cover up, even in the summer heat
☀️ You’re ready to stop saving workout reels you’ll never use
☀️ You want someone outside of your friends and family to keep you accountable
☀️ You’re ready to feel great in your body and what you do in it!
This is NOT for you if…
❌ You’re looking for a quick fix you’ll give up on in two weeks.
What you’ll Get:
✔ 10 weeks of coaching tailored to your goals & lifestyle.
✔ A gym training plan – so you know exactly what to do.
✔ Nutrition that works for you – say no to extremes, yes to food you enjoy.
✔ Weekly check-ins & WhatsApp support so you’re never left guessing.
✔ A private support group for motivation, accountability, and real results.
✔ Exercise library, recipe books and education all in one place.
How to join:
Reply to this email today to secure your spot, we’ll catch up on Sunday and we’ll get to work on Monday.
You can keep waiting for the “perfect time” – or you can start now and feel different in 10 weeks.
What’ve you got to lose?
Much love, and I’ll see yas in the next one
Jack x
References and further reading
Healthline. (2024). Ashwagandha: Benefits, Uses, and Risks. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ashwagandha
Harding, E. et al. (2020). Best Temperature for Sleep. Sleep Foundation. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/bedroom-environment/best-temperature-for-sleep
Hudson, C., Hudson, S.P., Hecht, T., & MacKenzie, J. (2005). Protein source tryptophan as an effective sleep aid. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 29(1), 9-29.
Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2021). How Alcohol Affects Sleep. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/how-alcohol-affects-the-quality-of-your-sleep
Shen, H., et al. (2017). 5-HTP and sleep regulation. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 8, 120.