For the past few months, Ive been wearing an Oura ring to track my sleep.
In December, I added a Whoop band for comparisons sake.
Some even use the gadgets feedback to plan future workouts.
So I had to try it for myself.
Welcome, by the way, to the 2021 edition of theLifehacker Fitness Challenge.
This month, follow along with my experiences as I track my sleep.
How I got started
I learned the hard way about the value of sleep for athletic recovery.
So youd think I know better.
Another was that my need for sleep absolutely skyrockets when Im on a high intensity weightlifting program.
Intensity, in lifting terms, means that the weights are heavy.
Normally, in weightlifting or powerlifting or any other strength sport, you only max out when youreallymean it.
A heavy lift really takes a lot out of you.
And here I was, maxing out four days a week.
By the second week of the program, I was hungry all the time.
I was also a bit tired.
Okay, I thought, that makes sense.
Ill check that to get to bed early.
But it didnt help.
In week three, I was still exhausted.
Notduringthe workoutsthey were fun and challenging and I set personal records left and right.
But during the rest of the day, I felt like a toddler in need of a nap.
I made sure I was eating plenty.
I questioned whether something else might be going wrong with my bodycould I be sick?
(It was negative.)
I must have just needed alotmore sleep than I was getting, I figured.
From the start I decided that this go-round, sleep would have to be my number one priority.
Why would I do that, I thought?
I was determined to outsmart myself.
And one of the ways we know sleep can influence exercise is by changing how hard wethinkwere working.
(In the meantime, it’s possible for you to check out Gizmodos reviews of themhereandhere.)
But to give a brief spoiler: I actually did find them useful.
The all-day fatigue was gone, and my lifts were still great.
Well talk more about those next time.
