{"id":35541,"date":"2025-09-02T09:05:56","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T13:05:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog-staging.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/?p=35541"},"modified":"2025-09-02T09:05:58","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T13:05:58","slug":"lauren-macuga-sleep-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/lauren-macuga-sleep-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Alpine Skiing Phenom Lauren Macuga Shares How Sleep Fuels Her Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At just 23 years old, U.S. Olympic hopeful Lauren Macuga has achieved a lot in her career already\u2014and she\u2019s only getting started. The downhill and super-G specialist started ski racing at 7 years old and earlier this year earned a bronze medal at the World Championships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The secret to her success? Macuga credits sleep as playing a key role in her routine. \u201cMy athletic performance is affected by sleep because it’s so essential in performing and recovery,\u201d she says. \u201cIf we don’t recover, our bodies can’t build the muscle required to go 85 miles per hour down the slope.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We caught up with Macuga, a Saatva ambassador, to learn more about her sleep style, how she gets ready for bed, and why prioritizing sleep during travel is so essential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lauren Macuga\u2019s top sleep tips<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Aim for the recommended amount of sleep<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Experts typically recommend adults get seven to nine hours of sleep per night<\/a> to function optimally. This is something Macuga understands first-hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI aim for at least eight hours of sleep because that\u2019s when I feel the best, when I\u2019m skiing and trying to be the best in the world,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Macuga adds that she\u2019s a side sleeper, although she doesn\u2019t have a favorite side to sleep on. Side sleeping is the most popular sleep position\u2014and for good reason. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we\u2019ve reported previously, the benefits of side sleeping<\/a> include reduced risk of back pain, lower odds of snoring, and overall comfort for most people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lauren<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2. Try a relaxing activity before bed<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A relaxing nighttime routine<\/a> can make it easier to fall asleep quickly. Macuga says her pre-bedtime regimen begins with her brushing her teeth and hair\u2014\u201call the good stuff,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd when I\u2019m not too tired from working out, I love to read my book before sleep<\/a>,\u201d adds Macuga. \u201cThat is my favorite way to wind down\u2014and then I have my cat with me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m not too tired from working out, I love to read my book before sleep. That is my favorite way to wind down.\u201d – Lauren Macuga<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

3. Don\u2019t skimp on sleep while traveling <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTraveling for competition is one of the hardest parts because we\u2019re traveling across multiple time zones,\u201d notes Macuga. \u201cIt\u2019s essential that we sleep during those times to be able to get over jet lag.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She adds that a lot of the time, that\u2019s an athlete\u2019s best chance to get recovery time between competitions\u2014\u201cso it\u2019s essential to be able to sleep almost anywhere,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, how does Macuga sleep well while traveling<\/a>? \u201cI always travel with a pillow and blanket,\u201d she says. \u201cThe blanket also has my cat on it so a little piece of home is with me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to flying, Macuga plans her sleep around how long the flight is and whether it\u2019s taking off from the west or east coast to best get on the time zone she\u2019s traveling to in Europe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, Macuga likes to read before bed, especially when she\u2019s on the road and has training or racing the next day. \u201cI know that\u2019s how I wind down best even if it\u2019s just a few pages or a single chapter,\u201d she says. \u201cAs long as I get a little reading in, I am able to sleep better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Macuga uses a sleep tracker to track her sleep while traveling to make sure she gets what she needs based on how she slept that night. This helps her get the most out of her training day. \u201cI change how I approach my day with that night\u2019s info,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, learn about <\/em>how Saatva is supporting Team USA\u2019s sleep and restoration<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At just 23 years old, U.S. Olympic hopeful Lauren Macuga has achieved a lot in her career already\u2014and she\u2019s only getting started. The downhill and super-G specialist started ski racing at 7 years old and earlier this year earned a bronze medal at the World Championships.  The secret to her success? Macuga credits sleep as playing a key […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":35542,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[412,389],"tags":[],"coauthors":[417],"guest":[],"host":[],"class_list":["post-35541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sleep-athletes","category-sleep-health"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35541"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35541\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35544,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35541\/revisions\/35544"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35541"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=35541"},{"taxonomy":"guest","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/guest?post=35541"},{"taxonomy":"host","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saatva-node-stage.tsc-starts-coding.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/host?post=35541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}