TrailGenic Science

Introduction:
Most hikers obsess over shoes, electrolytes, and training—but overlook sleep. As TrailGenic’s Baden-Powell case study proves, sleep debt can blunt performance as much as bad fueling.

Sleep & VO₂ Max
– Short sleep cuts aerobic capacity by 10–20%.
– Uphill effort feels heavier first (seen in +10 min slower summit split).

Mitochondria & Autophagy
– Sleep fuels mitochondrial repair, enabling fat oxidation.
– Sleep debt disrupts autophagy efficiency, even in fasted LMNT protocols.

Hormonal Recovery
– Poor sleep = cortisol spikes, reduced testosterone/GH → sluggish legs.
– Explains weaker climb but unaffected downhill performance.

Case Study: Baden-Powell (Sep 7, 2025)
– Ascent: 1 hr 58 min, +10 min vs prior Mafate run.
– Descent: 1 hr 14 min, one of my fastest.
– Same shoe (Mafate), same fuel (LMNT). Only variable = sleep.

Takeaways:
– Prioritize 7–9 hrs of quality sleep before big hikes.
– Treat sleep as training, not downtime.
– TrailGenic principle: sleep is recovery and performance fused together.

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