Why Better Sleep Might Be the Missing Link in Your Training Program

Author

The Coach
July 21, 2025

“Sleep isn’t the third pillar of wellness, it’s the foundation. As someone who has worked with high-performance athletes and training institutions across APAC for more than two decades, I can confidently say: you can’t out-train poor sleep,” says Aimee Griffiths, Sleep and Wellness Expert.

This is good advice and the absolute truth. If you’re crushing workouts, eating well and taking your stack, but dragging through your day and yawning at 3pm, your body mightn’t be recovering sufficiently. Recovery isn’t just about protein shakes, massages and cheat days. As every gym rat’s heard: “Babies grow when they sleep.”

The real gains happen at night. That’s when your body gets to work: releasing human growth hormone, rebuilding muscle, balancing testosterone, and clearing out brain fog through glymphatic system cleansing. It’s hours of dedicated rebuilding time that you should be optimising.

How Bad Quality Sleep Affects Training Outcomes

We’ve all felt what one night of trash sleep can do: it’s more destructive than leg day without a warm-up:

  • Impair muscle recovery and repair

  • Increase sugar cravings and hunger hormone disruption

  • Raise inflammation levels and weaken immunity

  • Slow reaction times, reduce focus, and tank motivation

Poor sleep isn’t just about feeling tired. It undercuts the entire point of training. That’s why elite athletes now track sleep as seriously as macros and workouts.

How Good Quality Sleep Affects Training Outcomes

Now, flip the script. One solid night of high-quality, uninterrupted sleep can work wonders:

  • Faster muscle repair thanks to elevated human growth hormone release

  • Stable energy levels and reduced cravings through balanced hunger hormones

  • Sharper brain function with better decision-making, memory, and mood

  • Higher testosterone production, supporting strength, recovery, and drive

  • Stronger immune defense and lower inflammation, so you stay consistent in training

You wake up clear-headed, motivated, and physically prepped to hit your next workout hard — and actually make progress. Great sleep doesn’t just support your training; it amplifies it

Make Recovery a Strategy, Not an Afterthought

One of the most effective ways to support your sleep is to control what you’re sleeping on and who you’re sleeping with. Bed mates aside, most guys are still crashing on the same saggy mattress that came bundled with a budget bed base six years ago. The problem? Generic bedding doesn’t account for your size, sleep position, or body temperature. It doesn’t optimise your sleep.

BEDGEAR is changing that, offering what they term “Performance Sleep Gear” designed to personalise and enhance recovery. Aimed at athletes around the world, their gear turns passive rest into active recovery through:

  • Dri-Tec: Wicks moisture to keep you dry.

  • Ver-Tex: Cools on contact to prevent overheating.

  • Air-X: Promotes airflow to keep you breathing and sleeping deeper.

The M3 Mattress and Storm Performance Pillow are standout tools for anyone serious about sleep performance. The M3 can be customised to your body type and sleep style, while the Storm pillow helps reduce disruptions through proper support and cooling.

Sleep Smarter: Expert Tips You Can Apply Tonight

Griffiths recommends treating bedtime like pre-game:

  • Keep a consistent wind-down routine to help your brain shift gears.

  • Drop your room temp to 18°C to signal recovery mode.

  • Cut blue light an hour before bed.

  • Invest in sleep gear that supports your recovery goals.

If you’re training hard but not recovering right, progress stalls. Better sleep isn’t a luxury. It’s a performance tool. Start thinking about your sleep setup the same way you think about your gym programming. Because when sleep becomes strategy, the gains follow.