Red light therapy, saunas, cold plunges… post workout recovery tools that were once limited to competitive athletes seem to be everyday today and the average gym-goer is taking notice. But, surprisingly, these often-expensive therapies are no replacement for one overlooked science-backed recovery tool: SLEEP.
DISC’s William Workman, M.D., a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, sports medicine expert and former head orthopedist for the Oakland A’s, broke it down for a story in Men’s Journal, maintaining that high-quality, consistent sleep outperforms even the priciest gadgets. Both sleep extension and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule are proven to maximize recovery better than a cold plunge ever could.
“Sleep is when nearly every meaningful recovery process happens: Growth hormone peaks in slow-wave sleep, muscle protein synthesis increases, lymphatic clearance reduces neuroinflammation, cortisol normalizes, autonomic balance shifts toward parasympathetic tone, glycogen replenishment improves, and motor learning consolidates,” he said.
Dr. Workman delved deeper into just how sleep impacts the body and its recovery processes.
“Recovery is a biological process, not a sensory experience. In other words, the machinery is working inside without you being able to sense it happening,” he said. “Sleep directly drives tissue remodeling, endocrine restoration, and nervous system recalibration. You can’t out-hack poor sleep with cold plunges, compression boots, or supplements.”
Read the full Men’s Journal article HERE.
Schedule an appointment with Dr. Workman HERE.