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Athletes commit themselves to excellence through their dedication to intense training regiments and strict dieting. However, there is one performance enhancer that is still commonly overlooked! Lets discuss the importance of sleep.
Whatever your skill level, the importance of sleep is critical to maximising athletic ability and performance when it counts. Still looking for some reasons to believe us?
Here are five ways sleep can affect your athletic performance:
Reaction time
It can be the difference between defeat and victory for any athlete. Whether it is a swimmer getting off the starting block or a batsman reacting to a bowl, athletes’ reaction time affects the entire outcome of a competition. Lack of sleep can lead to impaired brain function, fatigue and slow reflexes so, stay sharp! Quick reaction time starts with a good night’s sleep.
Recovery
When recovering from injury or just an exhausting training session, your body depends on certain stages of sleep to produce Human Growth Hormone (HGH). This hormone is essential to your body for muscle development and recovery. It is what helps your muscles to repair while growing thicker and stronger.
Attitude
Sleep has a tremendous impact on mood and a lack of sleep can have a very negative impact on the athlete’s mental state. An athlete who is sleep-deprived will tend to think they are more fatigued than they actually are. Additionally, the body will produce more cortisol, a hormone that tends to be released in great times of stress. A bad mood combined with higher levels of stress is a formula for under performing.
Muscle Memory
When your body is getting an adequate amount of sleep, there is a burst of brain activity which increases the release of calcium. This calcium is crucial in order to release enzymes that are responsible for promoting muscle memory for step by step sequences. This process can only be induced by sleep. These bursts mostly take place between the 6th and 8th hours of sleep so sleep-deprivation will prevent you from truly mastering your golf swing or penalty kick.
Health
As an athlete, you need your immune system to keep you strong and able for match day. Without a strong immune system, your body runs the risk of injury and/or illness. Get the 8 to 9.25 hours of sleep that is suggested for athletes and help maximise your performance!