
Preparing for an athletic performance will put a serious strain on your body. You’ll burn thousands of calories during strength and conditioning sessions, will pick up some bumps and bruises while competing, and may find that practice leaves you feeling fatigued.
As such, recovering properly from gym sessions, practices, and games is crucial if you want to perform at your best. However, in recent years, the athletic recovery industry has seen an influx of products based on pseudoscience rather than real recovery protocols.
Rather than spending all your income on cryotherapy and compression tights, consider investing in improving your sleep quality. High-quality sleep is the most powerful asset in your athletic recovery toolbox, and will even help you bounce back quicker after injury.
The Value of Sleep
If you’ve ever fully exerted yourself in an athletic competition, you’ll know that sleep is the best tonic for sore joints and fatigue. When you’re sleeping, your body is able to repair itself without having to worry about giving energy to other functions that you need while awake. According to a recently published meta-analysis that focused on sleep hygiene, extending your sleep duration following training sessions or athletic performances can also help by:
- Increased release of anabolic hormones (which promote muscle growth and recovery)
- Improved cognitive function
- Enhanced athletic ability (increased sleep associated with faster sprints, enhanced tennis serve accuracy, improved swim turn and kick stroke efficiency, and longer time to exhaustion)
The meta-analysis also found that “banking” sleep is an effective way to improve motor performance (and, therefore, athletic ability). This is particularly important when playing fixtures at venues far from home, as you are unlikely to sleep well when you’re in transit or are sleeping in a hotel room. Based on this research, experts suggest that athletes aim to achieve nine hours of sleep per night, though they do recognize that naps may help improve performance if this isn’t possible.
Naps
Sleeping somewhere around 9 hours is your best strategy in the build-up to an important game or practice. However, if you cannot get enough sleep at night, a nap may be the answer. According to research in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM), a well-timed nap can aid your ability to perform at your peak potential. Researchers found that a post-lunch nap of around 30 minutes:
- Increased cognitive performance
- Enhanced physical performance
- Reduced feelings of fatigue
However, researchers also found that you must give yourself around one hour to “wake up” again after a nap, lest your performance be undermined by sleepiness. Crucially, it’s important to understand that a nap should not replace good quality sleep at night. Rather, naps should be treated as a backup plan when feeling fatigued before an athletic performance.
Understanding Sleep Quality
If you struggle to get a good night’s sleep, you may need to speak to a healthcare professional. They will be able to assess the issues that stop you from falling asleep and may be able to identify hereditary issues that prevent proper rest.
Poor sleep may be a hereditary issue for you if you have a familial history of insomnia. If you have hereditary insomnia, you may find that your body does not produce sleep hormones at the right time, thus preventing you from getting some shut-eye. Other factors that may lead to poor sleep include:
- Caffeine
- Sugar
- Changing time zones
- Light
- Noise
Left unchecked, these issues can undermine your sleep quality. This will almost certainly diminish your athletic performance and may increase your risk of developing conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Pre-Bed Diet Protocols
Improving your sleep quality and duration should be a priority if you’re an athlete and want to enhance your recovery. Good quality sleep reduces your risk of injury, boosts your performance, and helps you feel mentally sharp. However, this can be tricky if you struggle with a condition like insomnia. If poor sleep is an issue for you, consider trying to cure insomnia naturally by:
- Improve Sleep Hygiene: Reduce the risk of blue light and clutter disturbing your sleep by avoiding screens an hour before sleep and keeping your bedroom clean. Consider cutting down on evening caffeine and start creating a sleep ritual that serves you.
- Check Your Patterns: Keep a sleep diary at hand and note down when you typically go to bed and fall asleep. If your sleep schedule is all over the place, try to get things under control by sticking to a predictable pattern.
- Change Your Mindset: Rather than treating the hours you spend tossing and turning as wasted time, call them “bonus hours”. If you really can’t fall asleep, get up and read a book or journal in a cool, dark room.
- Get Help: If “natural” interventions fail, consider speaking to a primary care physician or a sleep specialist who will help you find therapies and medication to improve your sleep quality.
Taking bad sleep seriously is key if you want to bolster your athletic recovery with some shut-eye. That said, you should avoid stressing oversleep, as worrying about poor sleep is sure to keep you up. Instead, focus on creating a sleep-friendly environment and see a doctor if you still can’t drift off.
Conclusion
Sleep is central to your athletic performance and will empower your active recovery efforts. A good night’s rest will bolster your cognitive function, improve your motor function, and help you recover after a hard workout. Even a quick, well-timed nap can enhance your energy and help you fight off fatigue. Just be sure to get medical help if you’re unable to sleep, as you may need medication to overcome insomnia.
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