Sleep Awareness Day Reflection: What 8 Time Zones Taught Me About Rest

March 8–14 was National Sleep Awareness Week. I missed it completely, caught up in prep for Zwift Community Live in Mallorca and in celebrating Women’s History Month with our Saturday Women’s Grey Zone rides. But maybe that was a good thing, because my travels taught me far more about sleep than any awareness campaign ever could.

The Plan

Shortly after the New Year, I got the invitation to Zwift Community Live (ZCL) in Mallorca. After the initial wow factor subsided, I knew I needed a real plan for sleep. Eight hours might not sound like much — that’s the time difference between home and Spain — but when you cross it in a single overnight flight, your circadian rhythm notices.

I was determined not to arrive jet-lagged. I also knew I didn’t want sleep issues affecting my three days of community rides in Mallorca during ZCL.

This was my second trip to Mallorca. The first was in 2019, when I rode with Mellow Jersey, a wonderful cycle touring company from the UK. That trip was at the tail end of a three-week European journey, so jet lag wasn’t really part of the story then.

This time, I did my homework. My plan was simple: move my bedtime back 15 minutes each week and wake up 15 minutes earlier each morning. By the week before departure, waking up at 3 a.m. my time had become my new normal. I’ll admit, I did love watching sunrises “later in the morning!” I thought I had it figured out: melatonin, gradual schedule shifts, push through.

Then, a week before my trip, North America shifted to daylight saving time and stole an hour from me overnight. All that careful clock-shifting I’d been doing suddenly had a glitch. Instead of feeling ahead of the curve, I felt like the time change had quietly undone part of my plan—and my body definitely noticed.

Mallorca taught me something humbling: knowing about sleep deprivation and living through it are two very different things.

Knowing about sleep deprivation and living through it are two very different things.

When the Plan Fell Apart

I’d arranged to arrive several days early, giving myself a buffer for jet lag recovery before Zwift Community Live officially started. Smart planning, right?

Then Monday, March 16 happened.

My flight from ABQ to ATL was delayed — massively delayed — and I knew immediately I was going to miss my connection to Europe. The stress hit fast. Twelve hours on hold with Delta (seriously). Multiple transfers. Problem-solving in crisis mode. A new flight was scheduled to depart — two days later.

So much for jet lag recovery. Hello, stress hormones.

I left home Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. my time and landed in Palma 17 hours later.

The First 48 Hours

When I landed in Palma, I was in a kind of mental fog I can only describe as functional amnesia. I knew who I was and where I was supposed to be, but conversations disappeared almost as soon as they happened. I’d talk with someone at breakfast and by lunch couldn’t remember a single detail.

Then came the next layer of stress: my airport transfer wasn’t there. I spent two hours talking with the transfer office, making multiple calls to the main number, and hearing the same answer every time: “We have no reservation in your name.”

I was exhausted, running on fumes, and now stranded.

Fifteen minutes after I emailed the transfer company and cc’d the ZCL organizer, they replied: “It was simply a misunderstanding.” About 30 minutes later, I was finally on my way—an hour-long transfer from Palma to Playa de Muro.

Sleep Debt Hits Harder Than You Expect

There’s something brutal about sleep deprivation in your mid-60s that younger travelers may not feel as acutely. Your circadian rhythm is less flexible. Recovery takes longer. Everything feels a little harder.

That first night in Mallorca, I got maybe four hours of broken sleep. My body still thought it was 3 a.m. back home. My legs felt like they’d aged ten years overnight. The next day, I wasn’t just tired — everything felt distant and slightly unreal.

And that was the day I’d scheduled to pick up my rental bike.

Was I likely jet-lagged when I rode back from the rental company? Very likely. Safe? Definitely not.

That’s when it really hit me: sleep isn’t a luxury. It’s the foundation everything else is built on.

The Rides Begin

By Day One of ZCL, I was feeling better. My plan was simple: ride a Mini Pretzel route on Day 1 and Day 2, about 50 km each, and save my energy for the Uber Pretzel on Day 3 — the iconic Sa Calobra. I was really looking forward to it.

Then common sense stepped in.

Sa Calobra is not a ride you want to tackle when you’re tired — at least not if your goal is to keep cycling for years to come. I decided to choose something safer instead. And honestly, that decision was reinforced by an OWL teammate and friend who lives in Mallorca and works as a nurse. She texted me daily about the crashes she’d seen that day, including riders who’d come in injured from Sa Calobra.

That was enough of a reality check for me.

After ZCL wrapped, I did one last ride: Ermita de la Victoria. It includes a 1.5 km climb with an average gradient of 8.8% and pitches up to 13%. Doesn’t sound like much, right? But after five days of riding, it was hard. My Garmin agreed — training status: Overreaching.

My Garmin agreed — training status: Overreaching.

That’s the point where you have to start listening to your body.

The Flight Home

My return trip was Barcelona to New York, with a connection from Palma to Barcelona. When I booked, Delta assured me the 55 minute layover would be plenty of time. When I arrived in Palma, I looked at the monitor and saw my first flight was delayed by 45 minutes.

My heart sank.

The airline said they’d have a shuttle waiting to take me from Terminal B to Terminal E. But when we landed, I was told they were running late and would pick me up in five minutes. The doors were closing in ten.

At that point, my fitness kicked in. Time for some unplanned cross-training.

I jumped off the plane, backpack secured, luggage in tow, and ran to Terminal E. I made it just as they were closing the doors.

I was exhausted. My body was screaming. But somehow, I made it.

Fitness showed up when I needed it. So did determination.

There was something about that moment — gasping for breath, heart pounding, adrenaline surging — that put everything into perspective. Fitness showed up when I needed it. So did determination.

What Got Worse

Without enough sleep, everything compounds. Add stress on top of that and the whole system starts to unravel.

My immune system was at its limit. I caught a cold in New York that wouldn’t quit.

Sleep deprivation affects everything: power, strength, memory, mood, joy. Without sleep, all of it gets shaky.

Recovery Takes Time

The rule of thumb is one day per time zone, but that feels optimistic once you’re older.

I’ve been home for almost three days now, and I’m still exhausted. The cold hasn’t helped. I want to be writing follow-ups about ZCL and responding to the women who asked me to share concerns about women’s racing with Zwift.

Instead, I’m doing the basics: taking naps, drinking plenty of fluids, and not stressing about everything that still needs to get done.

I’m probably not going to feel fully recovered for a week. That’s a serious investment of time, and it’s made me think differently about rest as part of performance.

What I’m Taking Home

Sleep isn’t something you catch up on. It’s something you protect.

If you’ve ever felt that post-travel fog, struggled with jet lag, or wondered why sleep seems to matter more now than it did at 40, you’re not imagining it. Your body is telling you something true.

Sleep is the foundation. Everything else is built on top of it.

Sleep is the foundation.
Everything else is built on top of it.

This Sleep Awareness Day — late, but sincere — I’m feeling especially aware of something I sometimes take for granted: the privilege of a good night’s rest, and the cost when we don’t get it.

Your sleep matters. Your recovery matters. You matter — at any age.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a nap. 😴

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 Next I will be back with updates from Zwift Community Live in Mallorca!

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