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?

  1. Add an extra 45-60 minutes to the front end of your bedtime. It allows the body to get into a resting state.

2. Avoid eating heavy meals late.

3. Take naps of 15- 30 min during the day when possible.

4. Optimize your sleeping environment. Use black out shades, masks, ear plugs to block out light and sound, dim electronics, drop the temperature in the room (66 degrees is optimum.)

5. Be consistent

At Gamespeed we pride ourselves on teaching athletes to train and eat smart. Sleeping smart is also a part of the equation.

Aaron Thigpen has been the training source for Bay Area athletes for over 25 years. Gamespeed is a “work smart” facility not just a work hard gym. Want to raise your Athlete IQ? Check us out.  925 222-9612  Â