'Sleep is something I've struggled with my entire life. Until now'

Paul Fennessy

ONE OF THE most underrated aspects of fitness, recovery, and general well-being is the importance of sleep.

Exercising while exhausted is not advisable and increases the chance of injuries or accidents. I have first-hand experience with this misfortune: I once accidentally walked into a glass door at Journal Media HQ while half-asleep.

Per a Nike report, citing Chris Winter, MD, president of Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine: “Sleep plays a key role in recovery, mood, immune and overall health, all of which can impact athletic performance… Without proper recovery, including sleep, you could raise the odds of muscle damage and inflammation.”

The same report later adds: “Although sleep can aid recovery and improve overall athletic performance, it isn’t a one-way relationship. Research indicates that regular exercise, such as strength training, can result in improved sleep quality.”

Sleep is something I’ve struggled with for much of my life.

As a child, it was a particular source of anxiety.

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One of my main concerns at that age was the sheer dread of a sleepover at a friend’s house and the arduous task of falling unconscious during the night.

In third class, at around eight or nine years old, I had the unfortunate habit of saying “what” when I couldn’t hear what the teacher was saying while addressing the class. “Who said that? What time did you go to bed last night?” she shot back. “8pm,” I lied. “You’ll need to start going to bed at six or seven.” Unfortunately, this advice was ignored.

Not wanting to miss late-night movies, TV shows and sporting events was also an issue, as was the exhilaration of coming down from all the memorable moments they often produced.

The 2002 World Cup – the last time Ireland were part of the tournament proper – sticks out. I turned 15 that summer and can remember feeling vaguely hungover, or ‘tired and emotional’ as Eamon Dunphy might put it, despite not yet being an alcohol drinker.

The sheer determination to watch as many games as possible, including the ludicrously early-morning ones, in a summer where I fortunately did not have to contend with the Junior or Leaving Cert, while also staying up late drinking unquantifiable amounts of cola, probably listening to an album by Television or some other ’70s band, was a not-quite-healthy combo.

As I got older, the problem persisted.

In the evenings, I would pace up and down the house, trying to tire myself out.

Midnight push-ups were another favoured habit. But they were only moderately successful in my fight against sleeplessness.

I would set my alarm for 4am to get up and urinate before going back to bed at times, in the (perhaps flawed) logic that it would enhance rather than exacerbate the quality of sleep.

Consistently inconsistent working hours, a love of alcohol, caffeine and staring at screens, and a general proclivity for being a night owl were other factors that hardly helped.

The only thing worse than the guilt of going to bed at 4am for a 7am start was waking up with a full day ahead of you after next to no sleep.

One anecdote that resonated was from media mogul Arianna Huffington. She would contemplate the level of care she afforded her phone, making sure it was regularly charged and working optimally, while failing to show the same respect for her own body and well-being.

The dilemma culminated in a cracked cheekbone from hitting her desk after collapsing due to exhaustion in 2007. And since that literal wake-up call, Huffington has become an advocate for sleep hygiene.

My own sleep has improved over the years. Some of it is through effort and a newfound discipline, avoiding phones, caffeine and alcohol late at night. But mostly, it is due to ageing. It’s much easier to fall asleep in your late 30s than in your 20s or teens, particularly if you have a young child in the house unwilling to let you stay in bed any later than 8am, and that’s only when he’s feeling particularly generous.

Despite those caveats, a good night’s sleep can still be a challenge.

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But the last six weeks have felt different. I can say it is the best period of sustained sleep I have had . . . Ever.

Intense exercise six days a week really is as beneficial as the aforementioned Nike quote indicates.

Going six weeks without alcohol and virtually no sugary snacks or caffeinated products outside of coffee has not done any harm at all either.

There are some drawbacks. I no longer have the energy to stay up all hours watching TV shows, movies, sporting events, or listening to albums from bygone eras. But at this point, it’s a compromise I’m willing to make. Soon, I’ll be telling people honestly that I went to bed at 8pm.