19: Why Sleep is so Important for Athletes and Successful Training from Sleep Expert Dr. Amy Bender

Today our guest is Dr. Amy Bender, a sleep expert and Senior Research Scientist at Calgary Counselling Centre, as well as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. 

Dr. Bender has helped develop the only validated sleep screening tool for athletes and has implemented sleep optimization strategies for numerous Canadian Olympic and professional teams. She’s also a former college basketball athlete and completed an Ironman in 2009, os she approaches her work with an athlete’s lens.

During this episode, we discuss:

• Why sleep is so important for athletes
• How it helps in so many different facets of our life and training
• Exactly how much sleep athletes need
• The not so well known importance of naps
• How to create a bedtime routine
• What supplements help with sleep
• If diet plays a role in sleep and if sleep plays a role in our diets
• Why if you’re in a sleep deprived time of your life, aka a new parent, it’s probably not a good idea to take on a new training cycle and how that can affect your training

Click here for the full show notes with resources and things mentioned in this episode. 

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