By Jane Sandwood
Around one in three Americans don’t get as much sleep as they should be, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
This has serious physical and mental health consequences - including an increased risk of heart disease and obesity. If you are an athlete, you probably know that when you hit the gym after a late or wakeful night, it can be very difficult indeed to equal or beat your best performance.
Discover why sleep is important for athletes and rely on tried and tested strategies to achieve your required zzzs every night.
Sleep and Improved Times
A study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that college swimmers were able to improve their sprint time, reaction times, turn times and kick strokes, by sleeping for 10 hours per day. The Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get seven to nine hours of sleep as a minimum.
However, when you are pushing your body extra hard and a split second can make all the difference, extra sleep can give you the edge you need. The researchers noted that “sleep is a significant factor in achieving athletic peak performance.” They additionally stated that sleeping for longer improved mood - which is something you can definitely lean on, when you don’t feel motivated to work out.
Good Sleep Quality and Sports-Related Injuries
An American Academy of Pediatrics study has found that if you experience sports-related concussion, good quality sleep will enable you to recover in around half the time that someone who does not have good sleep quality will. The researchers noted, “Sleep is not only important for physical, mental, and cognitive well-being, but also seems to play a pivotal role in the recovery of the brain.”
Another study found that young athletes who sleep eight or more hours every night are 68% less likely to face an injury than athletes who sleep less. The findings point to one important consideration when it comes to sleep: quality is as important as quantity.
How does Sleep Deprivation Affect Endurance?
If you enjoy long distance running, tennis, swimming, soccer, basketball or any other sport that requires endurance, then you need to make sleep a big priority. One study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology looked into how athletes performed on a treadmill after 36 hours without sleep.
Their findings showed that their endurance to the point of exhaustion was lowered by 11%. This was true even when monetary incentives were offered to the ‘sleepy’ athletes. The researchers discovered something else: athletes perceived greater exertion even when their heart rate and metabolic rate were unchanged.
The scientists concluded that sleep deprivation has a powerful psychological effect on athletes, making them feel less able to endure a workout. The effect on the physical is far less perceivable. In another review on the effect of sleep deprivation on exercise, it was found that missing up to 72 hours of sleep does not actually affect muscle strength but does make athletes tire more quickly.
What is Good Sleep Quality?
Good sleep quality involves three main things: falling asleep within 30 minutes of getting into bed, waking up no more than once during the night, and being awake for no longer than 20 minutes in total after you first fall asleep.
To enjoy good sleep quality, the major considerations to look out for include: ensuring your bedroom is cool and dark (factors that make you feel sleepy), battling stress throughout the day (so you don’t toss and turn at night), and sleeping on a quality mattress.
As noted by BedTester.com, to avoid frequent waking at night because of pain and discomfort, your mattress needs to be the right firmness for your sleeping position. Beds that are too soft, or those that don’t support all your body’s pressure points, will affect sleep quality in a big way.
What Happens if You Consistently Neglect Your Sleep?
Short-term sleep deprivation can affect your mood and reaction times, but if you miss out on sleep regularly, your athletic performance will be affected in measurable ways. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has found that typical effects of too few hours of rest include a decrease in aerobic power, time up to exhaustion, peak heart rate, and psychomotor test response speed.
If you are serious about sport, you need to see rest as an important part of doing your best.
Poor sleep quantity and quality will prevent you from improving your time and will likewise affect your endurance. It will also affect you psychologically, making it seem like you are more tired. Ensure you are sleeping a minimum of seven or eight hours nightly and take the steps you need to follow a strict sleep routine. Avoid habits that can keep you alert - including spending time in front of a screen in the afternoon or evening.
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