How well does a fitness expert sleep ?

How well do you sleep as a fitness expert? Prof. Dr. Stephan Geisler gives us a very personal insight into his sleeping habits, explains how sleep is connected to fitness, sport and training and gives us great tips for a sleep-friendly daily exercise routine.

Table of contents

1. Our expert: Fitness professor Prof. Dr. Stephan Geisler
2. How well does the fitness professor sleep?
3. Tips & Interesting Facts about Sports, Sleep & Health

1. Our expert: Fitness professor Prof. Dr. Stephan Geisler

Our sleep depends on many different factors and even as an expert in the field, you are not immune to a bad night. Prof. Dr. Stephan Geisler is a professor for fitness and health at the IST University in Düsseldorf and has been involved in research and further education in the field of muscle training for more than 20 years. In our podcast He told us how he makes his everyday life and training sleep-friendly and why he still often loses sleep. We'll give you an overview of the most interesting answers here.

2. How well does our fitness expert sleep?

[An interview with Prof. Dr. Stephan Geisler]

Would you generally say that you sleep well?

Well, my wife would definitely say that. I have to say that my sleeping habits have definitely changed in the last few years since I became a father. But I slept really well for 40 years. Since then, of course, it's been a bit different because something often happens at night. Anyone who has children will know that. Then a lot of things change.

So did you sleep well beforehand?

Right, I'm actually a pretty good sleeper. Of course, I know what many people know: that in the evening, if you think a lot, you might not be able to fall asleep so quickly. But then there are also simple techniques that can help you do that. You also know in which position you can fall asleep easily and, in my case, that it has to be as dark as possible.

When I was a student, I even watched TV until I fell asleep. Today, I don't allow myself to do that anymore because I know it's not good or healthy. In hindsight, though, I would do it differently.

Are you more of a late riser or a short sleeper? Approximately how many hours a night do you sleep?

In fact, I would describe myself as a short sleeper. I have found that if I sleep for seven hours, everything is fine. And that's all fine, and after a coffee and maybe a little early morning exercise, I'm ready for action.

Do you have a specific sleep routine or specific sleep times?

Everything has been thrown out of balance by the children, because now, for example, you put the children to bed late because they are so agitated. Then I lie down again, fall asleep and wake up half an hour to an hour later. Then, of course, you are wide awake again and maybe can't get to sleep until 1 a.m. Otherwise, I was someone who didn't go to bed too early, but rather around midnight. When the alarm went off at 7 a.m., I was actually very fit.

Do you have any specific evening routines?

That changes almost from decade to decade. I used to train in the evenings and for a relatively long time - sometimes I didn't get home from training until 10 p.m.Later, because of my studies, I was often out in the evenings with my fellow students and so on, and after that I was away a lot for work and slept in hotels a lot. Now with the kids, I actually prefer to sit on the balcony with my wife or watch Netflix. Who knows what my routine will look like in the next decade.

Does exercise have an impact on your sleeping habits?

Yes, everything. My wife often tells me that when I'm irritable. Then she says again, "Will you please go and train?" If I don't have any physical activity, then my stress level increases and that's not good for anyone. And not good for my sleep either. That's why I keep going to train and try to get into a training routine to get some balance again.

Stephan has already shown in this article explained.

Do you have specific training times?

They can vary. When I'm working from home, I sometimes allow myself the luxury of being reachable by phone but still being in the training area. But I don't think that's such a bad thing in my job as a fitness professor.

Do you have a favorite sport?

I have been doing strength training for 33 years now. At some point, of course, you don't always look forward to it anymore. But I still enjoy strength training, muscle training. For example, when I'm on the beach volleyball court with friends in the summer, I think I release more endorphins.

Sport is not only your hobby, but also your profession. How did you come to turn your passion for sport into a career?

In fact, we had careers advice at the time in high school and someone came along and said: "If I can give you a tip, don't look for what you'll earn the most money from, but look for what you'll be happy with and what you'll enjoy doing every day." That impressed me back then and certainly helped me do what I wanted to do. And I'm still very grateful that I did that because I almost never feel like I have to work in the morning.

Is there something from your sporting or professional life that has had a lasting impact on you and you would like to share?

You only realise how important sleep is when you become a father or mother. Before that, you take it for granted and perhaps that is why you don’t think about it so much. You just need a jolt like that to make you think about sleep and be aware of it. That can also be a sleep disorder that affect many people. I am very grateful that I am not one of them. Therefore, I believe that you simply have to see many things more consciously. Walk through the world a little more consciously, a little more mindfully - that is what I would generally recommend.

3. Tips & useful information on sports, sleep & health

In our special podcast series about fitness, sleep and health, you can learn even more about Prof. Dr. Stephan Geisler and discover his most important tips and interesting facts about the interaction between sport, health, sleep and well-being. Click here for the podcast ➨

If you want more information and tips about sports and healthy training, just follow the fitness professor on YouTube or Instagram!

Best regards and see you soon!