How champion free-skier Johnny Collinson uses sleep to enhance his performance

Johnny Collinson on the Pod by Eight Sleep

“I love sleeping on the Pod, the temperature adjustments have been game-changing.”

At age 17, Johnny Collinson became the youngest person in the world to climb the Seven Summits, the highest peak on all seven continents including the world’s tallest, Mount Everest. Today, Johnny is one of the most progressive, versatile, and recognizable faces of big mountain skiing.

Johnny Collinson

Image: Teton Gravity Research

What are you looking forward to this year?

My goals for this year are to get back on snow because I’m currently coming back from an ACL injury. I’ll just kind of get my feel back on the snow and feel safe in the mountains, and personally, I’ve been making it a huge priority to just learn more about my body and how to take care of it.

How has your relationship with sleep evolved?

My relationship with sleep has been ongoing but I’ve really just taken a big interest in it the past couple years because I had back to back injuries.

How do you know you’ve gotten quality sleep?

Quality sleep is when you kind of go into that deep sleep and that’s really when your body is recovering and after training or working out, it’s getting back to 100%.

Good sleep really affects me. I notice it the most when I wake up super energized.

How does temperature affect your sleep?

When I’m sleeping uncomfortably, it’s usually because it is too hot. That’s my biggest, biggest enemy.

Do you notice any correlations between sleep and your performance?

When I sleep good, my performance just goes way out. Getting a good night’s rest before the big day in the mountains, you can just be clear in your head and stronger in your body then perform better.

How do you incorporate sleep within your recovery routine? 

Being an action sports athlete, we do deal with a lot of injuries. I’m currently in the middle of one, and sleep fits in because it’s when you’re trying to recover an injury is just like recovery from a workout, just a longer scale.

Treating your body right over time is important and getting that quality sleep every night through an injury can just make the recovery so much faster.

“The concept that sleep is fitness I can totally get behind because you’re not really gaining muscle when you’re training, you’re gaining it when your resting and sleep is a super important regenerative state for your body.”

Can you share some tips on how you have improved your sleep?

To get a good night’s sleep, there are a few things I’ve noticed, like eating my dinner earlier and not being on my phone or distracting myself before bed.

Do you have any additional tips for good sleep?

I would recommend exercise, eating at the right times and eating the right foods and get the right mattress. I kind of just got into the Pod this year so it’s really helped me out.

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