How Sleep Can Increase Athletic Performance
Reaching optimum performance is every athlete’s dream. Yet no matter how often they train and how well they eat, without adequate sleep it is not possible to be 100% prepared for their chosen sport.
The study “The Importance of Sleep for Athletic Performance” conducted by the National Strength and Conditioning Association notes the following effects of sleep deprivation on athletes:
• Reductions in reaction time
• Increases in unstable emotional states
• Reductions in overall strength
In addition, the National Sleep Foundation details how lack of sleep may cause athletes to tire easily due to decreased levels of glycogen and carbohydrates which are both needed to produce energy.
Good quality sleep really is essential for peak fitness. Renowned fitness expert, and advisor to Men’s Fitness Magazine, Jim White once stated in an interview with Leesa that he would put sleep above fitness if he had an extra 30 minutes in a day. But how exactly does sufficient slumber time lead to optimum athletic performance? Here are some of the ways:
Fast, Fast, Fast
According to Sleep.org, athletes who consistently get enough sleep generally move faster and react more quickly. Their reflexes are much sharper, too. These benefits are crucial for athletes who play sports — basketball and football, for instance — in which speed is a weapon and an end in itself.
More Energy
Adequate sleep allows the body to store sufficient amounts of glycogen and carbohydrates, which are crucial in the production of energy. More sleep means more stored energy; and more energy means having the capacity to run harder, jump higher, and go all-out for longer.
Sharper Mind
Ensuring that you get the right amount of sleep can make a huge difference in performance for athletes. Sleep loss impairs judgment, focus, motivation, memory, and learning. So, athletes who get adequate snooze time have a sharper mind and are therefore capable of processing information faster and recognizing situations better. They can also focus more; make wise, information-based decisions, and recall pertinent details such as plays and strategies. Any athlete who has competed at the highest level knows how critical a sharp mind is, as athletic performance is equal parts mental and physical.
Recovery
Sleep is when the body best repairs itself. Getting adequate sleep, therefore, means giving the body sufficient time to fix itself and prepare for the upcoming grind the next day. When given enough time to heal, the body can then exert more effort. More importantly, it can better withstand the rigors of athletic performance and decrease the chances of injury such as a pulled hamstring or a tweaked knee.
Better Training
Athletes who get sufficient slumber time can train more intensely and more frequently because they will be faster, stronger, sharper, and less prone to injury. As any world-class athlete knows, proper training is crucial to performing at the highest level. For some effective training principles, this Force Barbell article is an excellent read. Optimum performance is the holy grail of athletes, and it can be achieved through lots of hard work, dedication, training, and of course, sleep.
So we want to know, have you considered how your sleep habits affect your performance? What are some of your favorite sleep hygiene practices to get the best sleep?