Hey Runners

Before you tweak your training…

Before you obsess over intervals, mileage, shoes, or supplements…

You need to make sure you’re actually using the #1 legal performance enhancer in the world.

It’s been proven in multiple studies to make you smarter, leaner, stronger, and faster.

Without training more.

Top exercise scientists have even said that if they could give an athlete only one thing...

This would be it.

Are you ready for it?

It's sleep.

But here’s the problem:

Most people underestimate the power of sleep and it's a shame because if they just made a few small changes their whole life would change for the better.

Let me explain.

A few years ago, I worked with an athlete who was an absolute beast.

He was breaking records, training hard. and doing all the recovery things.

And yet he kept getting injured.

Doctor after doctor.

Physio after physio.

Nothing helped.

And the clock was ticking.

Nationals were just 3 months away, where he had to prove his worth and he still couldn’t train properly.

Out of options, he came to me.

Now, I’ve worked as the head physio in a professional soccer club, so injuries aren’t new to me.

But before I even assessed him physically, I asked a simple question:

“How’s your sleep?”

He smiled and said,

“Perfect. I’m in bed at 10 PM and wake up at 8 AM. Ten hours every night.”

Sounds ideal, right?

But I wasn’t convinced.

So I lent him my Apple Watch and asked him to track his sleep for a few nights.

Three days later, we sat down and looked at the data.

Here’s what it showed:

He went to bed at 10 PM…

…but he didn’t actually fall asleep until 1 or 2 AM.

Which meant he wasn’t getting 10 hours of sleep.

He was getting 6–7 hours.

When I asked about his nighttime routine, everything made sense.

Every night before bed, he took a cold shower and did some light exercise.

He did so because he’d been told it helped recovery.

But in reality he was spiking adrenaline, raising body temperature, and wrecking his sleep quality.

So I gave him a simple sleep protocol.

Nothing fancy.

Nothing extreme.

Seven days later he no longer had any pain.

Three months later he beat a national record.

And I’ve seen this exact pattern countless times before.

This is what learning to harness sleep actually looks like.

Here’s exactly what I told him:

1. Align your sleep with 90-minute cycles​
   We sleep in ~90-minute cycles. Set your bedtime, not just your alarm, so you hit 9 hours or 10.5 hours.
   If you do one thing be consistent with your bed times
2. Stop training 2–3 hours before bed​
   Late workouts, cold showers, and ice baths spike adrenaline.
   A late workout is better than none but earlier is better.
3. No caffeine after 12 PM​
   It's just not worth it. Trust me.
4. Avoid alcohol if you’re serious about performance​
   Even one drink significantly reduces sleep quality, so whenever you're injured or looking to perform skip the glass of red wine.
5. Finish eating 2–3 hours before bed​
   Big meals will cause your digestion to keep running in the background as you go to sleep. This can mess up how deep your sleep actually is. Water is fine.
6. Nap when possible​
   Motor skill learning and recovery improve dramatically with sleep, so don't be afraid of a midday nap.
7. Turn off screens 1 hour before bed​
   Talk to your family or read a book.
   If this feels hard (like it did for me), that’s your sign you need it most.
8. Use heat if you feel wired at night​
   A hot bath can help you calm down. It's because your body cools afterward, triggering sleepiness.
9. Test magnesium​
   It may improve deep sleep for some people.
10. Optimize your bedroom​
    It needs to be dark. quiet and cool. No TVs.
11. Remove your phone from the bedroom​
    Buy an alarm clock.
    Your bedroom is for sleep and sex. Nothing else.
12. Get daylight early​
    At least 30 minutes of natural sunlight as early in the day as possible can help tune your biological clock. Just this one thing is incredibly effective.
13. Be mindful of what works for you.​
    Keep what improves sleep. Remove what hurts it.

Better sleep doesn’t just mean feeling rested.

It means:

• Faster recovery
• Fewer injuries
• Better training adaptations
• And better performance without more training

This is the low-hanging fruit most runners ignore.

Don't let it be you.

Let this be your sign to finally do something about it.

I promise you, you won't regret it.

Nicklas