Performance Sleeping

As athletes we sometimes forget that there is more to training than simply running or swimming in practice to prepare for a race.  The things that we do in our everyday life matter just as much such as staying hydrated, eating a balanced diet, and getting enough sleep.  Disclosure: The following post is about recent purchases that I have made.  I have not been compensated for this post.  All opinions are my own based on my own purchase of these items with my own money.

A while ago I learned of a performance bedding product called Sheex through advertisements in several triathlon magazines.  Mirinda Carfrae is a sponsored Sheex athlete and one of my favorite pros to watch. I shared my recap of Rinny's Twitter Party for Sheex in this post from November 2011.  Her connection to the product peaked my interest and made me look into it.  The concept is simple - it is a sheet set that is inspired by the performance fabrics used in athletic clothes to offer temperature regulation and ventilation to improve sleep quality.  I was very interested but then I saw the price tag for the sheet sets.  I'm choosy about how I spend my money and the high price tag of these sheets threw me for a loop.

Fast forward to a few months, and I was shopping at Walmart when I saw an endcap fixture of Breathe Performance Sheets.  They had a fabric sample and I felt the sheets and knew I had to buy some.  They were about 1/3rd the price of the Sheex brand and offered many of the same features.

1) Temperature Control - more effective than regular sheets at regulating body temperature.
2) Moisture Wicking - it's just like performance fabric we wear!
3) Breathability - breathes 50% better than cotton sheets.
4) Precision Fit - the fitted sheet really stays put.
5) Ultra Softness - soft and smooth to the touch.
6) Durability - resists fading, shrinking, and wrinkling.

Sheex and Breathe have partnered with the Sleep Foundation to offer some tips for athletes on having a sleep fitness plan.  Check the list and see how well you are doing at being a performance sleeper!

Sleep Fitness Plan Tips:
Exercise Daily
Set a sleep schedule
Make time for sleep
Wind down before bedtime
Get exposure to morning sun
Make your bedroom a sanctuary
Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet

We need good quality sleep in order for our bodies to repair and rebuild and I have noticed a huge improvement in my sleep since starting to use the Breathe sheets.  I fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly throughout the night.  The sheets are the softest sheets I have ever slept on and every night when I climb into bed it feels heavenly.  The only unique thing to manage with these sheets is the care process.  Since these are a performance fabric, you need to make sure that you do not use any fabric softeners with them.  I simply remind myself to remove the Downy bar from the dryer before drying them and then I'm good to go.

In addition to adding new sheets to the bed I have also changed out my pillow.  I picked up a new pillow at Sam's Club like this one here that is a memory foam pillow with a layer of cooling gel on it.  The gel layer keeps you cool and is supposed to improve your sleep as well.  I can definitely feel a temperature difference when I lay down on this pillow.  It feels great and has become my favorite pillow of the many that I have on the bed.  I have been using memory foam pillows for a while but this one just feels so much better.

My sleep plan helps me complete my training since it helps me perform better both physically and mentally.  When I am well rested, I react and respond to things better which means I'm less likely to skip workouts or fall victim to overeating sugary sweets to handle stress.  For less than $100, I've been able to upgrade my bedroom and improve my sleep quality. If you have a few extra dollars to invest in your sleep, I would check for these products in your area.

My run with Rinny!

On Monday I noticed a posting on Twitter that Mirinda Carfrae was hosting a Twitter Party with Sheex this week.  I was super excited because I love a good Twitter Party! They are fun and fast moving and usually you can learn something interesting. 

Unfortunately, I realized around 4PM this afternoon that the Twitter party would coincide with my group run.  I have shared that I am working on recommitting to my running so I didn't want to skip out on my run.  So I got out my phone and tried a few jogs down the hallway in my house and decided yep, I can run and be on twitter at the same time.  Why not do both and Run with Rinny!

So I sent a Tweet about my predicament and then headed out to meet the group for the run.  It was awesome because the Sheex team and Rinny both responded to my original tweet! Kind of awesome and the party hadn't even started yet.  

I got the Square for the run and I had to switch from my new KnuckleLights to my trusty old headlamp so that I had my hands free to hold my phone.  I explained to one of my friends that I was going to do a Twitter party during the run and he thought that was a little funny.  I tweeted a picture of the group heading out but it was taken in motion and you really can only see the blur of reflective clothing.  For the most part, I held my phone and every so often would refresh TweetDeck and read the most recent tweets.  I took a few walk breaks so that I could write in some questions to Rinny. 

Oh yeah, it was so much fun to see her responses to my questions! Especially her response about hills since I was heading up my last hill when it came.  I guess since Rinny says I need to embrace the hills I should probably restart doing hill repeats each week! Gotta listen to the superstar pro, right?

Here are a few other tidbits from the party:
Time off: Two weeks off and then 2 one week breaks during the season which equals to four breaks per year.

Cross training activities: one on one bball with @tointri, snow shoeing, but mostly couch sitting

Basketball competitiveness: I kick his ass in ashoot out, but he is very competitive in oneonone, I am better, but he is so much bigger

Favorite Run Workout: I love fartlek runs and also my test sets on the treadmill 15 to 20 x 3mins is a good one

Her bet with TO for Kona: If I outran him then he would have to have "rinny's bitch' written on the back of his shoes, and vica versa

Best Advice: Be kind to your body and it will be good to you.

Here's a little more info about Sheex which is a company that produces luxury performance sheet sets.  I was a random prize winner during the Twitter party so I'll get a pillowcase to try out and it might even be autographed by Rinny herself.  If it's autographed I'll have to decide whether I really want to use it I guess.  Either way, I am thinking about trying these sheets out because they sound awesome!

Temperature and sleep quality are closely related. The human body experiences a slight drop in body temperature right before falling to sleep. Traditional sheets trap heat and can disrupt sleep. Sheex performance fabric breathes better, allowing your body to do its job naturally.

Thanks so much to Sheex and Mirinda Carfrae for spending time with all of us tonight on Twitter!