Dr. Amy Bender: How to create a sleep strategy to optimize cycling performance and support mental health in 2021 - Episode 11

Tired of being tired? You're not alone. Millions of people struggle with sleep every night. In Canada, 1 in 2 adults have trouble going to sleep or staying asleep and 1 in 5 do not find their sleep refreshing. Yet, sleep is a powerful free tool at your disposal that can improve your athletic performance, mental and physical health.

Knowing how many athletes struggle with sleep, I decided it was due time to source one of the best sleep scientists in the industry to help gather some tactics to help you cultivate a new sleep strategy in 2021 and beyond.

Award winning sleep scientist Dr. Amy Bender is bursting with evidence based insights that will play an integral role in creating your new sleep strategy.  After spending over 15 years studying sleep through many avenues including work as a sleep technician, clinical research, written publications, interviewed for stories in Oprah Magazine and public speaking appearances including her Ted Med talk. Dr. Bender has an intimate relationship with the science. Her ability to translate the science to the field is evident through her successful work with NHL, Canadian national team athletes and Olympic athletes.

For athletes, sleep is a free performance aid that won't break the bank. Understanding how to set up your environment to maximize it's quality and quantity is paramount to getting the most out of your training routine..

This year in particular has brought extra stress for many due to the challenges of our current global pandemic. We know that stress can impact sleep and lack of sleep can impact stress. Learning tactics to put the breaks on this viscous cycle can prove to be very beneficial for many aspects of our health and performance.

I could have spoken to Dr. Amy Bender for hours, but of course in respecting her time I did my best to get what I thought would be the most practical information for you the listener.

Inside the podcast you'll learn:

• How daylight exposure impacts your sleep
• CBD oil: What does the evidence say regarding sleep?
• Light therapy - can a lamp replace daylight?
• How can I reduce jetlag if I travel to race? (step by step!)
• Why this sleep scientist ditched her Garmin sleep technology
• Specific tactics to help you fall asleep at night
• Caffeine, your brain and sleep drive
• The caffeine "crash"
• Naps: Can they help performance? What's too long?
• Meditation: Is it as restorative as sleep?

This episode is loaded! To round it out Dr. Bender shares some personal insights about how she has managed to push through challenging times in her own life and demanding career path? What kept her going when things were so grueling? I'm always interested to hear what my guests have to share in this final question about navigating imperfect progress.

I'm super grateful that I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Amy Bender this week. Her ability to translate science to an audience is next level and I'm appreciative of her passion to do so.

Thanks so much for listening. Please share this episode with anyone you think may benefit from a better night's sleep. If you listen on Apple Podcast I would love it if you could rate the podcast and leave any comments or feedback.

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dramymbender/

Sleepwelltowin.com (coming soon!)