Sleep and Your Sports Performance: What You Need to Know

sleep sports performance

Contents

Whether you play football for fun at the weekend, like to get out for the occasional job or you’re playing a sport practically at elite level, we generally all want to do the best we can, right?

We know that in order to play well or perform well physically, we need to train and eat well. 

But when we talk about preparing to perform on a sports field or in any other physical activity, we cannot possibly ignore SLEEP! 

Facts About Sleep and Sports Performance

  1. Sleep is good for your heart health and cardiovascular performance. Different stages of sleep see your heart beat at different speeds and this contributes to heart health which in turn contributes to how fit you feel
  2. Sleep is essential for muscle recovery. During deep sleep your body releases a growth hormone. This hormone plays a key role in repairing damaged tissues and building stronger muscles after intense training sessions. Without adequate sleep, this repair process is compromised, leaving you more susceptible to injuries and soreness and in turn negatively impacting your performance on the pitch, on the track or in the gym the next time around
  3. Sleep improves your brain performance. Many sports require rapid decision making, super quick reactions and  also focus. These are all things that are heavily influenced by how well you sleep.
  4. Energy restoration: Ever had a terrible night’s sleep and then got up to go for a run? It’s so much harder to convince yourself to go do something active when you’re tired. Sleep is vital to restoring energy, which affect sporting and athletic performance directly but also massively influences your motivation to play

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

The age old question. Studies don’t all agree on this. But adults generally need between 7 and 9 hours and some suggest that for professional athletes (not necessarily amateurs) that should be 8 to 10.

In fact, a study from Stanford saw basketball players increase their sleep to 10 hours per night. The results were impressive:

  1. Their speed improved
  2. Their shooting accuracy improved by 9%
  3. Players reported better well being

How do you get a Better Night’s Sleep? Quick Tips!

First thing is first. Let’s look at the space in which you sleep.

Keep it:

  • Dark
  • An appropriate temperature
  • Quiet

Turn off screens a couple of hours before bed time as the light from devices can suppress melatonin production and thus make it harder to sleep.

You need to also ensure your bed is comfortable for you. If you’re on an old or broken mattress or even one that is simply too hard or soft for you, this will make sleeping harder. Not ready to get a whole new mattress. You can get a double mattress topper pretty cost effectively and this can help make an older mattress more comfortable. 

Avoid caffeine and other stimulants from early afternoon wherever possible.
 
And finally, don’t eat heavy meals too close to bedtime.
 
 

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