Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

The perfect sleep schedule for athletes

25 Oct 2025 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:59

In this concise instructional video, the speaker outlines a daily sleep and recovery protocol tailored for athletes. The routine begins at 6:30 AM with 10‑15 minutes of outdoor sunlight exposure and 8‑16 oz of water to set the circadian rhythm and start hydration. An optional 20‑30 minute nap may be taken around 1 PM (no later than 2 PM) after a demanding morning training. Evening wind‑down starts at 7:30 PM, with social relaxation, and by 9 PM all phones are put away. Magnesium supplementation (3‑8 mg) is suggested to aid both sleep quality and muscle recovery. The day ends with lights‑out between 10:00‑10:30 PM in a cool, dark, tech‑free bedroom. The speaker emphasizes that inadequate sleep impedes athletic gains and credits Dr. Andrew Huberman’s podcast for the scientific basis, offering to share the podcast link on request.

Chapters

This is the perfect sleep schedule for athletes. 6:30 AM, we want to wake up and get immediate sunlight in our eyes, so go outside for 10 to 15 minutes. It's going to help set what's called a circadian rhythm for your sleep and wake you up and get you ready for your day. At the same time, bring your water bottle out there and drink 8 to 16 ounces of water to get a head start for hydration for the day. 1 PM, you can take— this is optional, but if you had a long training in the morning, you can take a 20 to 30 minute nap around 1 PM. Make sure that this is no later than 2 PM or else it will disturb your sleep later on in the day. 7:30 PM, we want to start winding down, chilling. You can hang out with friends. By 9 PM, we want your phone away. And it's optional to take magnesium 3 and 8. Magnesium can be awesome for your sleep, and it can also be awesome for your recovery. So that's a win-win situation. And then between 10 and 10:30, we want you to go to bed. We want a cool room, we want it blacked out in there so you can sleep well, and no tech in your room is the most important thing. If you are not sleeping, you will not get gains, I promise you that. Thank you to Dr. Huberman for this schedule. He has an amazing podcast where he does a deep dive into sleep. He is an expert on it. So comment the word podcast and I'll send it to you.