The Sleep Routine That Helped An Olympic Skier Overcome Exhausting Insomnia

March 15, 2023

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When I was a kid, I could fall asleep pretty much anytime, anywhere. But when I had my first knee surgery in 2013, I started not sleeping because of the pain and anxiety of needing to sleep in order to recover faster. I was also trying to make it back to the Olympics in a really short period of time and it was hard to turn my brain off. I had multiple surgeries over the next few years, which only exacerbated the problem.

I got down this really bad downward spiral of not sleeping. There was so much pressure on me to perform at that time. And obviously, you can’t perform when your mind is not clear and focused.

I tried a lot of things to help me sleep and nothing really worked. It’s hard because I feel like when you’re successful as an athlete, people don’t want to hear you complain. So I really didn’t talk about it. Similar to my mental health, it was something I fought through on my own.

My sleep got even worse after I retired. Without all the physical exertion, my racing mind became harder to control. But as an athlete, I’m always trying to improve—and I knew there was a lot of room for improvement in my sleep. Ultimately, I ended up working with my doctor to go on sleep medication for my insomnia (QUVIVIQ). I know that there are risks and rewards to medications, but I’m really happy with how this is working for me, and I’m glad I found it. I pair it with meditative practices like journaling to help clear my mind.

Sleep is such an important part of recovery. Now that I’m sleeping better, I have a lot more energy during the day, and my life has improved significantly.

• Average hours I sleep a night: The more I can get, the better. In an ideal world, I’d get 10 hours a night, but that’s not always possible… These days, I’m usually getting around 8 to 9 hours.
• Ideal bedtime: It depends on the time zone I’m in and whether I’m jet-lagged. I try to go to bed between 9 and 10 p.m., but it’s usually closer to 11 to 12 p.m.
• Ideal wake-up time: I try to wake up around 7:30 or 8 a.m.
• Bedroom essentials: A journal, lip balm, a book, a picture of my mom, QUVIVIQ, a candle.
• Favorite place I’ve ever slept: Home! There’s something so comforting about being in my own bed—even if there’s not always much space for me among my three dogs.
• Caffeine consumption: I used to rely on Red Bull a lot when I was racing and had sleep problems. But now since I’m sleeping better, I’m drinking less caffeine.
• How I track my sleep: I use an Oura ring. From an exercise perspective, I like knowing if I’ve recovered so I can understand how hard I can push myself the next day.

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While my sleep routine changes when I’m traveling, this is a typical night for me when I’m at home:

8:30 p.m.: I usually have dinner on the sofa watching TV. At home, I’ll eat pretty light dinners because heavier foods impact how well I sleep. I’ll have a salad with salmon or chicken—I keep it really easy for my body to process. And as much as I love sugar (I’m a big ice cream person), I try not to eat it right before bed. I keep sweets to the afternoon if I can.

9 p.m.: I’ve been watching Law & Order since I was a kid. It was something my family did together, and I always found it very comforting. So now even if I’m watching something else, I usually try to switch over to a Law & Order episode after. In the end, once the murder has been solved, I feel comforted and ready to prepare for bed.

9:15 p.m.: I’ll turn the TV off and take the dogs out. I’ll walk with them for a few minutes then go back in to wash up.

9:30 p.m.: I’ll take my sleep medication and do my beauty routine. I have combination skin, and I used to be anti-oils because I thought they’d make my face oily, but now I love them for staying hydrated. Vintner’s Daughter makes one of my favorites.

9:45 p.m.: Time to head to my bedroom. I keep a really dark room with blackout curtains. My comforter is also really important to me. Since I spend so much time in the cold, I crave something heavy and comfortable. I’ll slip under the covers, which can actually take a while with the dogs. Leo is 95 pounds… If I don’t get in bed before him, he’ll take over my entire spot.

10 p.m.: I’ll write in my journal (maybe with a candle). Journaling is something that’s been really important for me through my mental health journey. It helps me slow down, process, and reflect. I used to write about all the goals I had for the next day but I found that this actually revved me up before, so now I just reflect on the day and free-write about how I felt. I’ll stay away from what’s going to happen tomorrow because that can be a slippery slope.

Maybe I’ll read a bit afterward but that doesn’t always happen. I try not to watch TV in bed, even though it’s comforting because I find that it wakes my mind back up.

10:30 p.m.: The last thing I do every night before hitting the pillow is put on lip balm. I’m at high altitudes so often that it really dries my face out. These days I keep around all the oils, lotions, lip balms… the more, the merrier.

As told to mindbodygreen editor Emma Loewe.

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