Andy Galpin on Human Performance, Sleep, and the Science of Recovery
We all want to feel and perform at our best. But in today’s world of endless advice, biohacks, and quick fixes, the noise can feel overwhelming - sometimes even creating more stress than it solves. That’s why I’ve been waiting for this conversation for a very long time.
This week’s guest is Andy Galpin, one of the world’s most respected professors in exercise science and human performance. Andy is here in London for the launch of is of this sleep company, Absolute Rest, a new initiative helping people achieve the best sleep of their lives. He’s also just published a brand-new, open-access paper (literally this past weekend) with fascinating insights on how to improve sleep quality - something we dig into in detail.
But sleep is just the starting point. In this episode, we go wide and deep across the science of performance. We cover:
Heart rate variability (HRV): is it really a reliable marker of health, and how can you improve it?
Sleep do’s and don’ts: what the science actually says, and where common advice goes wrong.
Performance anchors: how to identify the hidden areas you may be neglecting and redirect energy toward what matters most.
What struck me most was Andy’s ability to combine approachability with scientific rigour. He’s not just a world-class researcher - he’s a world-class communicator who makes complex topics both understandable and actionable. In fact, I was so impressed by this conversation that we recorded part two - so expect more from Andy soon.
If you care about health, recovery, and human performance, this is one you won’t want to miss.
Watch the episode below:
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My personal insights and takeaways
1. Hard work + ambition (and luck) are the engine
“When you combine hard work and ambition… and then of course, an enormous amount of luck…”
What really landed was how unglamorous his formula is and how replicable. Galpin doesn’t pretend there’s a genius shortcut; he leans on two behaviours anyone can train: show up and reach higher. The honesty about luck matters too: it keeps us humble about outcomes and focused on inputs. I took away that “discipline” isn’t a personality trait - it’s a practice loop. Decide what matters, do the reps, and keep your ambition switched on long enough for luck to find you.
2. Remove the brakes before you hit the gas
“Let me look at the brake first… if your left foot is on the brake, you’ll go faster, but not as fast as you could.”
This flips the usual health script. We chase new workouts, supplements, biohacks - the “accelerators” - while our biggest drag (poor sleep, chaotic eating, unresolved stress) stays untouched. Galpin’s coaching frame is ruthless and freeing: find your single largest performance anchor and make it the mission. Fixing that “brake” prevents wear-and-tear and makes every later effort pay a bigger dividend. It reframes progress as subtraction first, then addition.
3. Think allostatic load, not just ‘nervous system’
“We have an allostatic load… visible stressors and hidden stressors.”
Your body runs on a full stress budget - everything you do adds to or takes from it. Some stresses shout (like poor sleep, arguments, or hard workouts), and others whisper (like low nutrients, stale air, or blood sugar swings).
It’s not just your nervous system at play - your hormones, immune system, and recovery are all part of that same load.
If progress stalls, it might not be your training. It could be all the other stress stacked on top. Look at both the obvious and the hidden factors.
4. HRV: trends > absolute numbers
“Low doesn’t mean anything to me… every one of ’em is different… the variability is what matters.”
HRV envy is pointless. Devices use different sensors and math, and people have different baselines. The signal isn’t your friend’s score; it’s your multi-week pattern and how stable you are under stress. Big swings can be more concerning than a “low” but steady number. Galpin’s bar is practical: establish a 21–30 day baseline, watch for multi-day shifts, and pair HRV with resting HR and how you actually feel. Treat HRV as a compass, not a judge.
5. The biggest HRV boosters are boring (and unbeatable)
“Nothing will improve HRV more than sleep… very few things will [more] than exercise.”
The heavy hitters aren’t mysterious: better sleep (and treating sleep disorders), regular exercise - especially aerobic work - improved diet quality, and healthier body composition. These reliably nudge HRV up and, more importantly, improve life. The lesson for me is prioritisation. If time and energy are scarce, invest them where the effect sizes are largest. Nail sleep and training first; gadgets and protocols can be garnish, not the meal.
6. Cold plunge vs sauna: know the timelines
“If you get in the cold… HRV will drop… hours later [it] will… climb… past baseline.”
Cold creates an acute sympathetic spike followed by a parasympathetic rebound; sauna/heat has broader and better-supported long-term benefits. Neither replaces training or sleep. This helps me use them intentionally: cold for alertness or as a strategic stressor, sauna for relaxation and cardiovascular support. But the key is expectation management - these are accessories. If you’re leaning on them to fix fundamentals, you’ll be disappointed.
7. Master the basics with EDDs (Everyday Drills)
“What is your everyday drill… did we get outside yet? Did we drink water?”
I loved the crossover from sport to life. Pros don’t skip fundamentals; they ritualise them. EDDs make health automatic: morning light, water before screens, a short walk, a kind word, a 10-minute tidy - tiny, repeatable wins that stabilise the day. My takeaway is to choose 2–3 non-negotiables and track them like reps. Consistency here acts like rebar in the week; it holds the bigger goals in place.
8. We have a sleep problem and environment matters
“We are spending globally 60+ billion a year on sleep, and it is getting worse.”
The paradox stings: more spend, worse sleep. Galpin points at the unsexy culprits - light pollution, noise, high CO₂ in closed rooms, screens, blurred work hours. The fix starts with the room and routine: cooler, darker, quieter, better air (ventilation or crack a window), plus boundaries with tech and work. It reframed “sleep hygiene” for me from apps and data to air, light, sound, temperature, and consistent shut-down habits.
9. 2–3 a.m. wake-ups often aren’t ‘mystery insomnia’
“They get kicked into arousal… two to three in the morning… just make your heart rate go down prior to bed.”
The pattern he sees: people crash fast because they’re exhausted, not because they’re downregulated. A high pre-sleep heart rate predicts that 2–3 a.m. pop-awake. The solution isn’t forcing more hours - it’s a real wind-down that lowers HR before lights out (breathing, gentle mobility, reading, hot shower - whatever fits you). That nuance matters: “tired” isn’t the same as “calm.” Build calm on purpose and the 2am wake-ups will fade.
10. Live well, be well = joy (with pillars beneath it)
“I think it’s a state of joy… with some semblance of health, community, [and] purpose.”
This is the “why” behind the “how.” Health practices are scaffolding for a felt sense of joy. You can hit perfect macros and still feel empty; you can PR your 10K and still feel alone. Galpin’s definition insists we put joy, relationships, and meaning in the frame. For me, that means training and sleep are non-negotiable but so are dinners with friends, creative work, and play. That balance is the point, not a perk.
A note from our partner, NOWATCH
Listening to Andy Galpin talk about recovery, HRV, and the science of stress really hit home for me. His reminder that awareness always comes before improvement perfectly sums up why I love NOWATCH.
This isn’t another fitness tracker pushing you to chase scores or compete with your data. Like Andy’s approach, it helps you tune in rather than max out by showing you how stress, rest, and recovery actually unfold throughout your day.
NOWATCH measures your stress responses in real time and shows how quickly your body bounces back - giving you a clearer picture of your true recovery capacity. Because as Andy says, performance isn’t about doing more; it’s about understanding what’s holding you back, removing friction, and letting your body do what it’s designed to do.
✨ You can try NOWATCH for yourself with 15% off all products - just use the code LWBW15 at nowatch.com.
