I listened to Garmin’s sleep recommendation and tracked my cycling performance - here’s the difference it really made

Just how much performance do I really sacrifice through inadequate sleep?

Male cyclist looking at his smartwatch after riding on his indoor trainer
(Image credit: Getty images - Justin Paget)

We all know that sleep is important for our health, fitness and wellbeing. Not only do we feel groggy and lethargic if we don’t get enough, but we’re bombarded by so many articles reminding us of the links between sleep, recovery and improved performance. We should know, we’ve written a fair few ourselves.

That’s all well and good knowing the theory. But I was interested to find out exactly what difference getting the ‘right’ amount of sleep makes for me - just how much of my fitness am I really sacrificing when burning the midnight oil?

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