Ever since, shoemakers have been at war to better that number in any way they can with carbonfiber plates, gobs of PEBA foam, and midsoles curved like the base of a rocking horse. And runners are keen to splurge on the latest tech. These super shoes cost $200 on the low end, with an increasing number of $300-plus models now available.
But it's not just shoes that promise to give runners an edge these days. Performance-enhancing gear has proliferated from muscle creams and infrared-light treatments to exogenous ketones and HRV-boosting apparel. An at-home sauna and ice plunge tub―at the crux of the latest heat-andcold-exposure fitness regimen-can run you upwards of five grand each. By comparison, the $800 price tag on Normatec's compression boots, once considered an elites-only extravagance, starts to look like chump change.
And yet, none of them has consistently shown as much benefit as what you get from a good night's sleep.
The best part? Sleep is free. Sure, there's a boatload of cool gear and tech that can help you get a good night of shuteye. But the essentials are things you already have and don't need to upgrade unless you choose to. Your current pillow, mattress, and blanket will just as effectively get you en route to Dreamland.
OF THE FOUR keys areas in QQRT, Quantity is the one most of us struggle with when life gets busy-simply getting ourselves into bed for enough time each night. According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults need between seven and nine hours each night. "Super sleepers"-individuals who require fewer than six hours of sleep per night-are incredibly rare. Between 1 and 3 percent of the world's population possess this genetic mutation for extremely high sleep efficiency. (I speculate that ultrarunner Mike Wardian, who reports getting around five hours in a typical night, may be among the lucky few.)
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