Why Better Sleep is a Power Move in Women’s Health

INSIGHT | December 2025

Sleep isn’t a luxury — it’s the best kept secret behind strength, mood, metabolism, and long-term health. For individuals experiencing hormonal cycles, pregnancy, and menopause, high-quality sleep is especially important. Below, we’ll break down why sleep matters for women’s overall health, what it does for recovery and performance, and how pairing F45 Training with Eight Sleep’s temperature-controlled Pod can help you unlock your best recovery yet.

Why sleep is non-negotiable for women’s health

More often than not, it feels like there’s not enough time in a day to fit in everything that needs to get done. From taking care of kids, to full time work, our priorities shift to the long laundry list of priorities we have in front of us and too often, a good night’s sleep is the first thing to go. That’s why we’re putting the emphasis back behind self-care and wellness, especially women’s sleep. Below we’ll break down how sleep disturbances can have a long term effect on overall health, how sleep impacts your overall training and recovery, and plans to set you on a better path towards improved overall sleep.

Effects of sleep on women’s health

For women and people whose bodies move through monthly hormonal cycles and possibly metabolic demands like pregnancy and menopause, quality sleep becomes even more essential. The science is clear: sleep dips impact everything from mood to metabolism. Sleep improvements also improve energy, mental clarity, and overall health¹. Here’s how sleep plays such a powerful role in women’s well-being.

Sleep supports mental health and mood. Sleep disturbances are strongly linked to depression and anxiety in women; better sleep helps stabilize mood and resilience.¹
It improves cardiovascular and metabolic health. Short or irregular sleep increases risks for heart disease and poor glucose control — risks that may impact women differently. Getting the recommended 7+ nightly hours matters. ^2,^13,¹⁴
Sleep is central to immune function and inflammation control. Chronic sleep loss dampens immune responses and raises inflammation, which can exacerbate a wide range of health issues. ³
Women experience more sleep-sensitive life stages. Hormonal shifts across the monthly menstrual cycle, pregnancy and perimenopause/menopause commonly disrupt sleep — and temperature-related symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats) are a leading cause.⁴

Sleep = recovery = stronger performance

Every time you step into an F45 Training session, your body works hard — and sleep transforms that energy into progress. Recovery isn’t a passive act; it’s an active biological process that determines how strong, fast and resilient you become from physical training. If you want to lift heavier, move better, and feel more energized in class, optimizing your sleep is one of the most effective performance hacks available⁵. Your muscles, nervous system, and cardiovascular system need time, and the right environment, to repair, build, and adapt. Sleep is where:

Growth hormone and tissue repair happen; ¹⁵
Heart rate and autonomic balance (HRV) recover; ¹⁶
Motor memory consolidates, so your movement patterns improve. ⁶

Improved overnight cardiovascular recovery and deeper restorative sleep translate directly into more consistent training performance and lower injury risk ¹⁷. Research shows targeted improvements in sleep stages and overnight cardiovascular metrics lead to better recovery signals. ⁷

The importance of sleep for performance and recovery is hard to overstate. Research shows that getting enough high-quality sleep is one of the most powerful ways to recover from your last workout and show up ready for the next one ^{6, 15, 16, 17}. True readiness, however, includes hours slept, deep and REM sleep, and recovery of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. When sleep is dialed in, you typically see a lower resting heart rate and higher HRV, recovery metrics indicating that your body can comfortably handle more training intensity the next day ¹⁸. – Elias Malek, PhD, Research Associate II, Eight Sleep

Overnight temperature matters — and that’s where Eight Sleep shines

One of the most consistent findings in sleep science is that thermoregulation — keeping your body at the right temperature while you sleep — strongly influences sleep quality and recovery. Eight Sleep’s Pod dynamically adjusts bed surface temperature and has been shown in clinical studies to:

Improve deep sleep and reduce wake periods;
Lower nocturnal core temperature, which improves heart rate and HRV during sleep (markers of cardiovascular recovery).

Eight Sleep has also introduced women-focused features (e.g., Hot Flash Mode), designed specifically to help manage temperature-related sleep disturbances common in menopause, pregnancy or the menstrual cycle. The Pod is a practical tool for women who need targeted, non-pharmacological support to protect sleep continuity. ^{8, 9}

Tips to pair F45 workouts with better sleep (and how Eight Sleep helps)

Better sleep isn’t about overhauling your life — it’s about simple, strategic habits that stack in your favor. When you train at F45, your body needs predictable recovery, and a few targeted changes to your evening routine can dramatically improve the quality of your rest. Here’s how to support your training, boost your energy, and help your body bounce back stronger.

Aim for consistency: Try for 7–9 hours most nights; regular sleep duration reduces metabolic and cardiovascular risk. ^{9, 14}
Prioritize the 60-90 minutes before bed: Choosing less engaging phone content (watching TV instead of social media) and a calm wind-down routine improve the chance of falling asleep easily. ¹¹
Optimize temperature: If night sweats, hot flashes, or general heat disrupt your sleep, a bed that cools quickly and responds in real time can cut awakenings and improve deep sleep — that’s exactly what the Eight Sleep Pod is built to do. ⁶
Track recovery signals: Use HRV and resting heart rate trends to judge whether you need an easier session or a rest day — many smart sleep systems (and fitness wearables) help you see the effect of sleep on recovery. ¹¹
Treat sleep as part of training periodization: Hard block of F45 Training sessions? Double down on sleep strategy and temperature control to accelerate adaptation and aim to reduce injury risk.

Why F45 Training + Eight Sleep is a winning combo

At F45 we train hard, smart, and together. Recovery is the glue that makes consistent training pay off. Pairing F45’s community-driven, high-intensity sessions with Eight Sleep’s evidence-backed temperature control creates a full-cycle performance loop:

Work hard in class → sleep better with targeted temperature support → recover faster physiologically (better HR/HRV, deeper restorative sleep) → come back stronger to the next session. Eight Sleep’s peer-reviewed data show measurable improvements in overnight cardiovascular recovery and sleep architecture when temperature is optimized — the exact biology we care about for performance and health. ⁶

Quick action plan: 7-day sleep tune-up for F45 athletes

If optimizing your sleep feels overwhelming, this is your starting point. A focused, one-week plan can recalibrate your body clock, improve your nighttime recovery and help you feel more powerful in every F45 session. These seven small steps create noticeable change fast — especially when paired with smart technology like Eight Sleep.

Night 1: Set consistent lights-out and wake time (even weekends).
Night 2: Cool bedroom temperature 60–90 minutes before bed; try a slightly cooler Pod setting if available.
Night 3: Add a relaxing pre-sleep routine (stretch, low breathing, limit screens and avoid intense or stressful content in the 60–90 min before bed).
Night 4: Check HRV/resting HR trends in the morning — reduce intensity if recovery is low.
Night 5: If you experience hot flashes/night sweats, try Eight Sleep’s Hot Flash Mode and overnight cooling.
Night 6–7: Compare how you feel in class and adjust training load based on recovery data.

You’re probably only a few small tweaks away from improving your sleep. When you prioritize a consistent sleep schedule, a cooler environment, and use basic recovery tracking, you’ll likely feel a difference within 1-2 nights. When these habits are layered on top of temperature control with the Pod, we saw that people have deeper, less fragmented sleep and stronger cardiovascular recovery ⁶. Start with variables you can control (lights, phone content, room temp), and optimize from there. – Elias Malek, PhD, Research Associate II, Eight Sleep

Sleep Amplification to your Training

Modern sleep tech like Eight Sleep makes it easier to control one of the most powerful levers for sleep recovery: temperature. Pairing science-backed sleep strategies with F45 training means you’re not just working out — you’re upgrading how your body rebuilds, adapts, and thrives.

Ready to train hard and recover smarter? Learn more about recovery programming and explore how Eight Sleep’s temperature-responsive Pod can fit into your performance plan.