The Power of Sleep for Athletes
Not getting the right amount of sleep can be costing you on the field. The three pillars of Sports performance can be summed up as your: Training (Work), Recovery (Rest) and Fuel (Nutrition). All of these must be done properly and within the right ratios, any imbalance can hurt performance.
In the “rise and grind” mentality of misinformed athletes, parents and trainers Recovery is the most often overlooked. Sleep is a huge part of any recovery program and most don’t understand the effects a lack of sleep can have on an athlete.
By not getting the minimum 8 hours did you know:
Endurance– Studies found Cardiovascular endurance and maximum aerobic power was decreased by 20.9%. In sports separations of just 1-3% can be huge imagine giving a whopping 20% advantage in any area.
Injury Rates– Athletes who average 5 hours of sleep or less have a 60% increase in injuries.
Performance – A UCSF study found that the Stanford basketball team players who got 9-10 hours of sleep over five weeks increased their free throw percentage by 9% (skill-focus) and lowered their half court sprint by .75 seconds (roughly one-two steps).
Metabolic Response – Weight gain, inflammation can occur if sleeping improperly.
Want to get good sleep?
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