Sauna Blankets to Sleep Masks

Sauna Blankets to Sleep Masks:

Why We're Embarking on 12 Recovery Challenges Before Rowing the Atlantic

If you knew you were taking on a mammoth endurance challenge, which required sustainable power for 45 days or more, what would you focus on?

Most athletes, whether amateur or professional, focus heavily on training: more miles, more hours, more effort. In many ways, Vicki and I are no different, and we’re delighted to be working with sports scientists at the University of Kent to design our training programme, but we often forget that training is only half of the performance equation.

Recovery is where the body actually adapts to the stress of training, leading – over time – to supercompensation gains… fitter, faster, stronger.

Why Recovery is more important than you thought

During recovery, muscles repair, energy stores are replenished, and the nervous system resets. Without it, progress stalls — or worse, injuries and burnout creep in.

This is not just true in the world of sport. Leaders, also known as corporate athletes, neglect recovery at their peril, leading to an inability to think creatively, a decrease in emotional intelligence, memory lapses and increases in perceived stress.

Sleep is the single most powerful recovery tool we have. (I know I’m biased as a sleep scientist, but there is data to back me up!). For example, research shows that sleep deprivation impairs endurance performance, reduces accuracy, slows reaction time, and increases injury risk.
Muscle repair and growth happen largely during deep sleep, when the vast majority of growth hormone is released.
Immune function also takes a hit without recovery — studies have shown that even a few nights of restricted sleep can suppress immune defenses, making athletes – and corporate athletes – more prone to illness.

In other words: we don’t really get stronger from training. We get stronger by recovering after training.

For an expedition like ours — rowing 2 hours on, 2 hours off, day and night, for 40+ days — recovery won’t be optional. It could be THE deciding factor in whether we succeed.

The gROW Recovery Challenge series

The critical thing to remember about both recovery, and training, is that we’re all different.

When we look at the scientific research to see “what really works”, we’re usually looking at the results of experiments where the average result was reported. Even for recovery strategies which are ‘evidence-based’ you’ll typically find that most people respond, but a minority may not get any benefit, and a few people may even get worse.

Starting in September 2025, every month we’ll be experimenting with a different tool, technique, or strategy to optimise our recovery…

We’ll focus on use tools and techniques which have some evidence behind them, but perhaps it’s early days, or perhaps the results are controversial.

Every month, we’ll adopt the strategy as often as we can.. marking our progress within our Whoop journals. We’ll reflect on how we feel before, and after, and see whether there is any visible impact on our sleep and recovery metrics.

Towards the end of every month, we’ll share the verdict: was it a game-changer or a gimmick? Did it make a meaningful difference to us, or were we hooked by good marketing?

Challenge #1: The Sauna Blanket

We’re incredibly grateful to Hydragun, for sponsoring our first challenge. They have supplied Vicki and I with their Heatpod Sauna Blanket, an infrared wraparound blanket which delivers heat therapy at up to 85C.

There have been a whole raft of benefits associated with regular heat therapy, and saunas in particular, ranging from increased blood flow and circulation, to stress reduction, relaxation and – possibly – improved sleep.

I’m going to reserve judgment for now.. but please follow us for updates, and the full verdict at the end of the month!

Will it help us all gROW?

Recovery isn’t just an ocean-rower’s problem. It’s universal. Whether you’re training for a marathon, juggling work and family, or just trying to get a better night’s sleep, recovery is what helps you show up as your best self.

We are hoping that our campaign will spark your curiosity.

If you don’t have access to a sauna, or sauna blanket, ask yourself: what could I try this month that might help me gROW, to feel and perform better? Please let us know how you get on!

Sophie Bostock

Dr. Sophie Bostock is a leading sleep scientist, TEDx speaker, and TV expert with a PhD in health psychology. She has represented Great Britain in coastal rowing, canoed 2,000 km from Canada to Alaska, and rowed around Great Britain for the British Heart Foundation. Her pioneering work explores the link between sleep, stress, and peak performance — making her a unique force in the world of endurance sport.

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December 2, 2025 Sophie Bostock