The Science Behind Peak Performance | A User’s Guide to Better Sleep

In this episode, sleep evangelist and scientist Dr Sophie Bostock shares her mission to help people unlock the life-changing benefits of better sleep. Founder of TheSleepScientist.com, Sophie works with high performers in sport, business and leadership to improve recovery, reduce burnout, and enhance productivity by optimising their sleep routines. This conversation centres around her research-backed approach to “sleeping yourself to the top”—and why the modern understanding of recovery is shifting in workplaces and boardrooms alike.

We explore how elite performers are rethinking their relationship with rest, and why the age of bragging about ‘surviving on four hours’ is giving way to smarter, data-led habits. Sophie explains how wearables are helping leaders see the real-time impact of alcohol, poor sleep, and device usage on their recovery. Cultural norms are changing, and high performers are increasingly making conscious decisions to cut down on behaviours that harm their energy, focus and long-term health.

The discussion highlights the growing issue of ‘renorming’—when people get used to operating below their best without realising it. Sophie points to research from the US military showing how small amounts of missed sleep lead to significant performance declines, even when people feel they’re functioning fine. She also breaks down the neuroscience of tech addiction, and the cognitive toll of living in an always-on world, where switching off has become a skill in itself.

Sophie also opens up about her own experience with burnout—despite being a sleep expert. She candidly recounts the moment she literally ‘fell off a cliff’ after pushing too hard for too long, and how that became the catalyst to start her own business and truly live by the principles she teaches. Her story is a powerful reminder that even the most knowledgeable among us are vulnerable to the effects of overwork.

The episode closes with practical tips for listeners who want to make meaningful change. Sophie encourages busy professionals to start small, experiment with one habit at a time, and measure their results—whether through a sleep diary or wearable tech. The key, she says, is consistency and intentionality: put rest in your calendar like any other commitment. Because if it’s not scheduled, it’s unlikely to happen.

The ainslie + ainslie Performance People podcast talks to high-performers in the world of sport and beyond, to bring defining moments, hard-earned insights and expert advice to everyday performance. New episodes every Tuesday.

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We love performance, which is why we’ve launched ainslie + ainslie – the first supplement brand to be developed inside elite sport. Now available for everyone. Find out more at www.ainslieainslie.com

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