How Better Sleep Improves Athletic Performance

 Athletes must prepare in every aspect of their lives to perform their best.  They have to train regularly, eat healthy meals and make time for rest, recovery and sleep. Their overall performance will suffer if any one area is lacking. Thus, sleep is no exception.

 

Generally, for the overall health and well-being of both athletes and nonathletes, sleep is essential. A night of good quality sleep can provide athletes with an array of physical and mental health benefits. Some of which are listed below.

 

Good for your heart

One crucial benefit of sleeping well is that it allows the heart to rest and cells and tissues to repair. Therefore, an athletes body needs to repair and recover after high-intensity physical exertion. Sleeping also promotes cardiovascular health as your body produces cytokines, hormones that help the immune system fight off infections.

 

Ideal for mental health

Without proper sleep, the pathways in the brain that allow you to learn and make memories can't be formed or maintained. When athletes practise or learn new skills, sleep helps form memories and contributes to improving performance in the future. The ability to think, focus and make decisions can also affect due to lack of sleep and can have adverse effects on athletes who compete in sports that require a high level of cognitive functions.

As effective as exercise

As exercise is pivotal for physical health, good sleep is critical for maintaining their mental health, which is very helpful for their athletic performance.

 

Aids in recovery

High-intensity training and performance can take a toll on the body of an athlete. Hence, recovery plays an essential part in their career journey. And how does the body recover? Obviously, by getting proper sleep. According to various researches, for athletes who play high-intensity sports, regular sleep helps them recover better and boosts their performance.

 

Qualitative and quantitative lack of sleep leads to several harmful effects on any person. Mentally, sleep deprivation reduces the ability to react quickly and think clearly. Just like training, getting enough sleep is also a commitment for which you will have to train your mind to sleep better.

Multiple things play a significant part in helping you sleep better, such as a balanced diet, the surroundings and the mattress on which you sleep.  Thus, a good quality mattress is vital for better sleep.

 

When athletes sleep, growth hormones like androgens and melatonin are released, that help recovers the damaged tissues.  So, scheduling their sleep accordingly helps. An athlete who compromises their sleep time or can't sleep for any reason tends to feel fatigued much faster than a well-slept athlete.

 

Finally, it is needless to say that the quality of your mattress is a deciding factor of how better you sleep. Therefore, investing in a good quality mattress as per your needs is a good idea for athletes. There are multiple types available in the market. Latex, memory foam, orthopaedic, gel, innerspring mattresses are some of the popular ones to choose from. 

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