We talk a lot about workout routines, staying active, and hitting peak performance. But what about the greatest recovery hack most athletes overlook? The 4 stages of sleep.
Is it the easiest drill or the hardest? Sleep isn’t always easy, and it can be really challenging during competition. Poor rest or even mild insomnia can wreck your training day before it begins.
We need the full sleep cycle for muscle repair, mental clarity, and overall performance. Every elite athlete knows this. That’s why pros have their own hacks to protect their sleep: LeBron James takes strategic naps, Erling Haaland swears by blue-light blocking glasses, and Tom Brady sticks to a strict sleep schedule.
Think a peak-performance bedtime story doesn’t exist? Lay down, relax. Here we’ll dive into the science of the stages of sleep, how they benefit recovery, and the best strategies to help you rest and perform like a pro.
What Are the Stages of Sleep?
Sleep is divided into two main types: non-REM (non-rapid eye movement) and REM (rapid eye movement). Non-REM has three stages—N1, N2, and N3—while REM is the fourth stage.
These 4 stages are sequential, moving from light to deep sleep, and each full cycle takes about 90 minutes. This means that in a regular 7–8 hours of rest, you’ll complete at least five full sleep cycles.
Most of our sleep time hours are non-REM during the early hours of sleep, while REM is more prominent towards the later hours before waking. As for anyone else, for athletes each stage plays a different role in repairing tissues, recharging the immune system, balancing metabolism, and restoring brain function.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the four stages we are going to see:
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N1 (Light Sleep): 1–7 minutes. Your body starts to relax, and brain activity begins to slow.
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N2 (Preparing for Deep Recovery): 10–25 minutes. Body temperature drops, heart rate slows, and you’re transitioning into deeper rest.
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N3 (Deep Sleep and Recovery): 20–40 minutes. This is where muscle repair, immune function, and full-body recovery happen.
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REM Sleep: 10–60 minutes. Brain activity increases, memories are consolidated, and coordination skills sharpen.
Let’s break down each stage in detail to see exactly how it impacts recovery and performance.
Stage 1 (N1) – Light Sleep
This is the first step into sleep, when you start feeling drowsy, drifting. Your body starts to relax, muscles loosen, and your mind slows down.
The N1 sleep stage is short, lasting only 1–7 minutes. But it sets the tone for the rest of the night. If you don’t ease into this stage, the deeper phases won’t be as effective. This first stage is a preparation, a bit like the warm-up before training: it’s essential prep for the real gains of recovery.
Stage 2 (N2) – Preparing for Deep Recovery
Once you’ve fallen asleep, you enter the N2 sleep stage, which can last up to 25 minutes. Your body temperature drops, heart rate slows, and muscles fully relax.
The N2 sleep stage is crucial for athletes. Growth hormone begins to release here, setting the stage for tissue repair and muscle recovery. Good rest during the N2 sleep stage will later help consolidate skills you’ve trained, as your body is preparing both physically and neurologically for the next level.
Stage 3 (N3) – Deep Sleep = Deep Recovery
For athletes, N 3 is the powerhouse stage, where they rebuild strength and heal injuries. It’s deep sleep, lasting from 20 to 40 minutes, and it’s where the magic of recovery really happens.
In the N3 sleep stage blood flow to muscles increases, fueling repair and growth. Also, testosterone rises and growth hormone peaks, driving protein synthesis and fat metabolism. Prolactin, the anti-inflammatory hormone, supports joint healing.
REM Sleep – Brain Recovery, Coordination, & Focus
The final stage is REM sleep, lasting anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes. Your muscles are temporarily paralyzed, but brain activity skyrockets. This is where most vivid dreaming occurs.
During REM, the brain resets, consolidates memory, and sharpens coordination. It’s like hitting the “save” button on the skills you practiced during training.
But there’s also things happening on a physical level during the REM stage of sleep: The blood flow increases, helping clear out lactic acid, for even better recovery.
Why Athletes Need All 4 Stages
So there you have it. N1 warms you up for sleep. N2 preps the body for real healing. N3 is where muscle repair and growth peak. And REM gives you the full mental and physical reset.
You’ve probably seen headlines claiming elite athletes sleep 12 hours a day. That’s more of a media misinterpretation, rather than a fact. In reality, most pros aim for 8–10 hours.
Yes, all this still sounds like a lot. But when you factor in the demands of training and competition, it makes perfect sense. Quality sleep builds muscle, sharpens focus, and speeds up recovery. Ask any bodybuilder, they’ll tell you their best gains start with a good night’s sleep.
For athletes tracking recovery, science points to a few key biomarkers that shift during sleep:
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Cortisol: Follows the circadian rhythm; high levels disrupt recovery.
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Testosterone (total and free): Drives muscle repair, growth, and joint health.
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Prolactin: Peaks during sleep, aiding tissue repair.
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Thyroid hormones (TSH, T4, T3): Regulate energy, metabolism, and muscle strength.
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Magnesium: Promotes muscle relaxation and prevents cramps.
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Vitamin D: Supports bone, joint, and muscle function.
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Omega-6 : Omega-3 ratio: Balances inflammation and impacts joint recovery.
That’s the science behind why sleep matters just as much as training. But let’s take a closer look at what happens when sleep falls short.
How Poor Sleep Affects Injury Recovery & Gains
A bad night’s sleep takes a serious toll on both mind and body. For athletes, it’s a real problem that we don’t hear about often. In fact, research shows that many athletes carry a constant sleep deficit. Why does this happen?
Burnout, late-night games, and the pressure to perform at peak when muscles still need rest. It all adds up. Especially during the season or before big matches, sleep disorders can appear. And once they do, winning that battle becomes tough.
For athletes, missing out on N3 and REM sleep means losing strength and flexibility. The toll to pay is clear: tired muscles, poor execution, and a higher risk of injury.
Burnout also slows reaction times and makes it harder to read the game. Add in high cortisol levels—the body’s main stress hormone—and recovery stalls even more.
When the body and mind stay tense, performance declines. And no athlete can sustain that state for long.
Optimizing Sleep for Peak Recovery
Elite athletes face the hardest games and the highest pressure. Finals, championships, back-to-back matches. All this is really demanding, both mentally and physically. So how do they keep up?
They all prioritize sleep. Every stage, every night. And while there’s no single “magic hack,” there are proven strategies you can use too.
Create a Good Pre-sleep Routine
A great way to prepare for sleeping into N1 is with gentle stretches, just 15 minutes before bed. Nothing intense, just movements that relax the body and release tension.
You can try the child’s pose, hamstring stretch, chest opener, shoulder rolls, or a simple hug stretch. Pick what feels best for your body. The key is to build a pre bedtime habit. Over time, this routine signals your brain it’s time to shut down and recharge.
Avoid Blue Light Before Bedtime
Blue light blocks melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep. That’s why late-night scrolling makes it harder to fall asleep into the N1 stage.
Instead, dim the lights, use softer bulbs, or even light a candle. Create an evening environment that tells your body it’s time to rest. You don’t need to go as far as Premier League striker Erling Haaland, who wears blue-light blocking glasses three hours before bed. But you get the idea.
Keep Your Bedroom Cool, Dark, and Quiet
How you prepare your room is also important for good quality rest. Temperature is one of the simplest sleep hacks. The sweet spot is 60–67°F. If your room is too hot, your body struggles to cool down and enter stage N1.
Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, and distraction-free. And save your bedroom for sleep and intimacy only. No workouts, no work emails.
Train your brain to associate the space with rest. It's a pure habit.
Take Strategic Naps
This is something we learned from the one and only LeBron James: he takes 30 minute naps at 2pm to recharge. So if your schedule allows, go for it.
These strategic naps help restore energy and sharpen focus. Just enough for a short cycle through all sleep stages.
Consistent Sleep Schedule
Tom Brady swore by consistency: Lights out at 9 p.m., up at 6 a.m., even on weekends. Helped him build a strong habit that really paid off.
Sticking to a regular schedule locks you into your natural circadian rhythm. Your body starts to expect rest at the same time each night, which makes falling asleep and waking up easier.
Nutrition and Hydration
Fuel matters for sleep just as much as for training. Avoid heavy meals or alcohol before bed, as they may knock you out, but they disrupt N3 and REM later in the night.
Opt for lighter snacks. And remember: after 8 hours without water, your body wakes up dehydrated. So, how about starting your day with a full glass? It rehydrates, boosts metabolism, and helps flush out toxins from overnight recovery.
Wake Up Rested With Morning Stretches
Instead of the regular alarm, try a progressive alarm that mimics sunrise or builds sound gradually. It’s a smoother way to transition out of N3 or REM.
Once you’re up, give yourself 10–15 minutes of stretching. Cat-cow, spinal twists, cobra pose, or shoulder rolls all help mobilize the body. Some athletes even throw in squats, or even eat breakfast while holding a squat.
Either way, gentle movement primes you for a strong start to the day.
Recovery tools & physiotherapy support
You don’t need an HBOT chamber like LeBron, or Haaland’s blue-light glasses to perform at your best. What matters most is that you prioritize sleep and recovery in a way that works for your body and lifestyle.
At P1 Athlete, one of our most effective recovery tools is dry needling. It helps athletes speed up muscle recovery, and also helps them reduce stress and fatigue, for better rest.
So how does it work? Dry needling may look similar to acupuncture, but the science is different. We use fine needles to target specific trigger points in muscles and joints. There’s no bleeding nor pain, just a relaxing feel.
Each session helps release deep muscle tension, reset neuromuscular patterns, and calm the nervous system. As simple as it seems, this helps to get better-quality sleep through every stage of the cycle.
If you’re serious about optimizing recovery, make our dry needling therapists part of your training team. It’s an edge you don’t want to miss out on.
Ready to Recover Smarter?
Sometimes, the easiest drill turns out to be the hardest. But all four stages of sleep matter. Each one plays a role in recovery, and there’s a lot you can do to support your own body.
You now have practical strategies: stretching before bed, cutting back on screens, setting the right room environment. Together, these small habits help you move through N1, N2, N3, and REM the way your body is meant to.
At Performance One, our coaching and recovery programs focus on the whole picture: training, performance, and good rest. You won’t find this level of coaching and recovery support just anywhere.
Schedule your session with P1 Athlete today and start building better performance and recovery.