Somewhere along the way, it became a badge of honour not to sleep enough. A terrible idea.

There have always been people claiming they run companies or smash workouts on four hours’ sleep. I’m sure a few genuinely can — but I suspect most are fooling themselves.

A couple of years ago, I started paying closer attention to my body, especially with my running. The difference was obvious. With 7 hours of sleep, I perform better — in training and at work — than I ever did on 5 or 6.

One of the biggest shifts for me was simply listening to my body. If I’m sitting on the sofa at 10pm, dozing off while watching TV, maybe it’s time to prepare for bed rather than pushing through.

I’ve also become a big believer in sleep tracking. I use an Oura Ring and love it — it’s helped me understand my recovery, identify habits that hurt my sleep (like late-night eating), and improve my training. My daughter uses Ultrahuman and my son has Whoop, and they love theirs too. These trackers give you insights into sleep quality, recovery, and daily readiness, which is invaluable for fitness. They can encourage better habits, track trends over time, and keep you honest about rest. The downside? You can become a little too focused on the numbers, and data isn’t always perfect — but for most people, the awareness and small behaviour changes they create are well worth it.