In the pursuit of fitness-related goals, sleep often takes a backseat to training and nutrition. But if you’re cutting corners on rest, you may be holding yourself back from real progress. According to the National Sleep Foundation, one in three adults doesn’t get enough sleep — falling short of the recommended 7-9 hours per night (1). And while an occasional restless night won’t derail your health and fitness progress, chronic sleep deprivation can negatively impact nearly every system of the body (2).
Anthony Gabriel, Head of Education at E20 Training, emphasizes that sleep can be the missing link for those feeling "stuck" in their training progress, explaining that prioritizing “sleep can help people break through the glass ceiling and find renewal with EMS training.”
To fully grasp why sleep is essential for the physical fitness and mental well-being improvements you’re after, foundational knowledge on what happens during different sleep stages and how they contribute to muscle repair, cognitive function, and overall recovery, is key. Let’s dive in.
The Basics of Sleep and Health
Sleep is far more than just shutting down for the night — it's an active, dynamic process that fuels both body and mind (2). The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get 7–9 hours of sleep per night, but individual needs vary based on factors like genetics, activity level (your training load plus lifestyle activity), your health status, and more.
Recognizing sleep’s essential role in health, the American Heart Association (AHA) now includes
'Getting Healthy Sleep' as part of their Essential 8 health behaviors — alongside factors like nutrition, physical activity, and blood pressure management (3). According to the AHA, adequate sleep promotes healing, improves brain function, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Plus, research suggests that adequate sleep may also help you manage your weight, improve your metabolism, regulate your hormones, and have mood-boosting benefits (2).
Sleep quality, how restful and restorative your sleep is, matters just as much as quantity — disruptions to sleep cycles can limit the body’s ability to recover effectively. Poor sleep quality, even if total sleep time appears sufficient, can lead to fatigue, impaired decision-making, increased stress levels, and higher risks of chronic conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes (2). Further, poor sleep quality makes it harder to recover after a tough workout and see the adaptations you’re seeking.
A Quick Look at the Stages of Sleep
Sleep is not uniform. Over the course of the night, your total sleep is made up of several 90-minute rounds of the sleep cycle, which is composed of four individual stages (4). Sleep can be categorized as either REM (rapid eye movement) sleep or non-REM sleep, and your FitBit or other tracker is likely breaking down each sleep stage outlined below.
Non-REM Sleep (Roughly 75% of each night) (4)
Non-REM sleep is broken up into three stages, as outlined below:
Stage 1 / Non-REM 1: The first stage of sleep only lasts 7–10 minutes, during which the body and brain begin to slow down. It’s the lightest stage of sleep, making it easy to wake someone up. As the night progresses, time spent in this stage decreases, allowing for more time spent in deeper sleep cycles.
Stage 2 / Non-REM 2: The second stage of sleep lasts 10–25 minutes and is marked by a drop in body temperature, muscle relaxation, and slower breathing and heart rate. As the night progresses, time spent in stage 2 tends to lengthen, making up about half of total sleep time.
Stage 3 / Non-REM 3: If you use a sleep tracker, you’re probably watching stage 3 – known as deep sleep – pretty closely. It lasts 20–40 minutes and is the hardest stage to wake someone from. During this phase, muscle tone, pulse, and breathing rate decrease significantly, allowing the body to fully relax. The brain produces slow, rhythmic delta waves, making this stage essential for physical restoration and post-workout recovery.
REM Sleep (Roughly 25% of each night) (4)
REM sleep is the most active stage of sleep, where brain activity increases to levels similar to wakefulness. In REM sleep, skeletal muscles experience temporary paralysis, except for breathing muscles and eye movement. This is also the stage where vivid dreaming is most common. REM sleep plays a crucial role in memory encoding, learning, mood regulation, and emotional processing. The first REM stage begins about 90 minutes into sleep and is relatively short, but REM periods lengthen as the night progresses, making up a larger portion of later sleep cycles.
In a typical night, a person goes through four to six sleep cycles. Sleep disruptions – like waking up frequently or not giving yourself the opportunity to be in bed for 7+ hours – can shorten deep sleep and REM sleep, making it harder for the body to both recover and perform optimally.
More on the Role of Sleep in Muscle Recovery and Performance
Sleep is a non-negotiable component of performance, recovery, and adaptation. If you're consistently missing even 30–60 minutes of sleep per night, referred to as sleep debt, performance and recovery can take a hit (5). Conversely, extending the duration of sleep closer to the recommended amount can improve athletic performance, boost strength gains, and enhance endurance (6).
Muscle recovery is an ongoing process, but critical repair work happens during sleep. During deep sleep stages, the body releases growth hormone, which stimulates muscle repair, tissue regeneration, and fat metabolism (5). The body also reduces inflammation and focuses efforts on returning to homeostasis during deep sleep. When sleep is disrupted or cut short, the body's ability to repair damaged muscle fibers and adapt to training stress is compromised, leading to slower recovery, increased soreness, and a higher risk of overtraining.
For E20 members, this means that insufficient sleep can make workouts feel harder, reduce the effectiveness of the EMS stimulus, and even delay adaptations to training. Sharing science-backed information on how to improve sleep habits is a passion of Gabriel’s. “You can have the best workouts and the most effective EMS sessions, but if your body isn’t fully recovering overnight, you’re leaving progress on the table,” he explains.
Five Practical Tips for Improving Sleep Quality and Quantity
The daily habits and environmental factors that influence your sleep quality and quantity are often referred to as sleep hygiene. If you’re aiming to improve your sleep starting today, here are five practical, science-backed strategies to help you establish healthy sleep habits and enhance recovery.
Stick to a Regular Sleep Schedule: Yes, even on the weekends, maintaining a consistent bedtime and wake-up time helps regulate the body's circadian rhythm, or internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up naturally (7). For E20 training members, a steady sleep schedule supports muscle recovery and nervous system adaptation — two critical components of progressing in EMS workouts without excessive fatigue or soreness.
Optimize Your Sleep Environment: A cool (around 65℉), dark room that’s free from distracting screens helps promote better, uninterrupted sleep (7). A proper sleep environment may prevent you from waking up groggy, helping you show up with better energy levels for your next training session.
Limit Screen Time & Introduce Calming Practices: Exposure to blue light from phones, tablets, and TVs in the hour before bed can suppress melatonin production, making it harder to fall asleep and reducing REM sleep quality (7). Instead of scrolling on your phone, try light stretching, reading, or deep breathing exercises before bed to signal to your body that it's time to wind down. Plus, if you’re sore from a recent E20 Training session, gentle mobility work before bed may ease tension, improve blood flow, and prime your body for great rest.
Try Red Light Therapy: Unlike blue light, red light therapy may not be as disruptive to your circadian rhythm and may help promote melatonin production (8). After your next E20 Training session in the evening, spend some additional time in our recovery section enjoying medical grade red light therapy.
Consider Workout Timing: Regular exercise can improve sleep quality, but the timing of your workout may be key. High-intensity training too close to bedtime (within 60–90 minutes) can elevate core body temperature, increase heart rate, and delay melatonin release, making it harder to fall asleep (9).
Key Takeaways
Sleep is a cornerstone of recovery and performance. Quality sleep supports muscle repair, nervous system adaptation, and overall workout efficiency, making it just as essential as proper nutrition and training.
Poor sleep can stall progress and mask the changes you’re working so hard to see and feel in your exercise routine. Inconsistent or insufficient sleep can lead to prolonged soreness and reduced energy levels for your next workout.
Sleep directly impacts intensity in EMS training. “When we’re sleep-deprived, our levels can’t reach as high, and therefore our workouts aren’t as intense. Additionally, balance and form tend to suffer, making it harder to train efficiently,” explains Gabriel.
Prioritizing sleep hygiene can improve recovery and workout performance. Implementing science-backed tips to sleep better will help you reach your health and fitness goals.
By making sleep a priority, you’re setting yourself up for better energy, stronger performance, and continuous progress in EMS training at E20 Training. Book your next workout today!
References:
National Sleep Foundation: Why Do We Need Sleep? Accessed January 5, 2025. Available at: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/why-do-we-need-sleep#:~:text=Everyone%20needs%20sleep%2C%20but%20about,getting%20a%20good%20night%27s%20sleep.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Sleep. Accessed January 5, 2025. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/index.html
American Heart Association. Life’s Essential 8. Accessed January 12, 2025. Available at: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/lifes-essential-8
National Sleep Foundation: Stages of Sleep. Accessed January 12, 2025. Available at: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/stages-of-sleep
Charest J, Grandner MA. Sleep and Athletic Performance: Impacts on Physical Performance, Mental Performance, Injury Risk and Recovery, and Mental Health. Sleep Med Clin. 2020 Mar;15(1):41-57. doi: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2019.11.005. PMID: 32005349; PMCID: PMC9960533. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9960533/#:~:text=Sleep%20loss%20and%2For%20poor,and%20impair%20recovery%20following%20injury.
National Sleep Foundation: Sleep and Athletic Performance. Accessed January 17, 2025. Available at: Sleep, Athletic Performance, and Recovery
National Sleep Foundation: Sleep Hygiene. Accessed January 12, 2025. Available at: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene
Zhao J, Tian Y, Nie J, Xu J, Liu D. Red light and the sleep quality and endurance performance of Chinese female basketball players. J Athl Train. 2012 Nov-Dec;47(6):673-8. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-47.6.08. PMID: 23182016; PMCID: PMC3499892. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3499892/
Harvard Health Publishing: Does Exercising at Night Affect Sleep? Accessed January 17, 2025. Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/does-exercising-at-night-affect-sleep