Sleep forms a very integral part of athletic excellence, both in terms of mental and physical health. While athletes strive to work their way through the peak performance ladder, quality rest is extremely important. From reaction times to recoveries, sleep becomes a major determinant of just how well an athlete turns out to be.
Five Ways Sleep Impacts Athletic Performance
1. Accuracy and Reaction Times:
Adequate sleep can improve the accuracy of an athlete by a real margin and equally enhance reaction times. A study proved that with extended sleep, the accuracy of college men's basketball players improved by 9% in free throws and 3-pointers. Equally, in college women's tennis players, the case was reported where extra sleep improved their match scores and enhanced serving accuracy from 36% to 42%. In swimmers, it showed a 17% improvement in reaction times off the start block with increased sleep.
2. Endurance:
Lack of sleep may quicken the pace at which a person gets tired from physical activities. Hence, athletes who lack enough sleep usually get more tired and feel like their actions require more energy. A well-rested athlete has a better glucose metabolism, which translates to high energy and good moods, both of which are essential for endurance.
3. Motor Memory and Cognitive Function:
This is also important for boosting consolidating motor memory and the specific muscle techniques that athletes spend hours rehearsing. Getting 9 to 10 hours of continuous sleep will help the body better retain these muscle techniques, resulting in better coordination, quicker reaction times, and split-second decision-making on the field.
4. Injury Risk and Recovery:
Deep sleep is when the human growth hormone, necessary for tissue repair and the development of muscle and bone, is released by the body. During sleep, cortisol, the stress hormone that hurts the body, is reduced. With this combination of factors, recovery times are faster, and the possibility of getting hurt decreases. Read more about the Best Top 6 Exercises of Strength Training for Athletes.
5. Overall Performance:
The impact on overall performance exists at every level of competition. For instance, one study of Major League Baseball players showed that well-rested players had far better strike zone judgment. Another went on to show that 72% of the well-rested players were still in the league three years later, while only 14% of sleep-deprived players remained. It has also been proven that sleep deprivation can decrease time to exhaustion by up to 10%, thus indicating the impact it has on athletic performance over a longer time frame. Read more about Getting Young Athletes to Prioritize Sleep for Better Performance.
Five Strategies for Improving Sleep
Here are five strategies for improving sleep:
1. Sleep Hygiene:
The three most important things to improve the quality of sleep are keeping regular times for sleeping and waking, ensuring a good environment for sleep, and avoiding screen time before sleeping.
2. Consistent Practice Times:
Practices should be conducted at the same time every day, without sessions early in the morning or late in the evening, so that athletes can get a more consistent pattern of sleep.
3. Time Zone Travel:
A little time should be given by the athletes to get adjusted to the change of time zones. This would be ideally a day per time zone crossed, so less interference with the sleep cycle is experienced.
4. Keeping it Natural:
Avoiding sleep medicines and promoting natural sleep via daylight exposure and good hygiene sleep practices.
5. Napping as a Last Resort:
Napping can prevent sleepiness. It is not a substitute for a full night of sleep; it can at least help to be partially sleep-deprived, instead of sleep-deprived in situations where adequate nighttime rest cannot be achieved.
How the Athlete's Guild Can Help
At the Athlete's Guild, we believe that in athletics, the bed is as important as the field. Our programs are set out to be informative for the athletes regarding the importance of sleep and to provide them with various individually strategized ways of improving their sleep quality and quantity. Our athletes learn how to establish good sleep habits, manage schedules that do allow them to rest, and use natural methods that could improve their sleeping through our training sessions, workshops, and one-on-one consultations. We also assist the athletes in adjusting their travel schedules to ensure they remain at peak performance even when on the road.
Conclusion
Sleep is a very important part or constituent of an athlete's training routine. This impacts every level of performance, from accuracy to endurance, recovery, and prevention of injury. Enabling new heights of performance and career longevity for athletes by just putting sleep first and putting in action points to enhance it is truly possible. The Athlete's Guild does this by providing specific, one-on-one support and coaching on getting rest, which every athlete needs for maximum performance.