The number 1 performance enhancer you aren’t utilising
While everyone is out trying to find the latest supplement and try out the newest recovery tool (and usually forking out plenty of cash to do so), there is a potent performance enhancer in our toolkit that we often don't utilise very well - oh, and it's free!
Sleep
Sleep is far and away the lowest hanging fruit of all, yet it can often end up being the lowest on the list of everyone's priorities. Before spending money on anything in the hope of boosting your performance, nail this aspect first and your recovery capacity is bound to skyrocket.
To delve more into the science behind sleep, there are four main stages. Of the four stages of sleep, slow wave and rapid eye movement (REM) are the most important for our recovery.
Slow wave sleep is when growth hormone is produced and the body recovers, while REM sleep is primarily for the brain and memory consolidation (Venter, 2012). The deprivation of sleep can obviously be detrimental to physiological growth and repair.
It is important to note there is a difference between acute (one night) and chronic (5+ days) sleep deprivation. Naturally, life can get in the way sometimes, and missing one night of sleep won't derail all your gains. But chronic sleep deprivation is something that needs to be addressed if you want to really get on top of your recovery and performance.
Below are just a handful of studies showing improved performance with increased sleep.
Basketball players who extended their sleep to 8+ hours:
The players ran faster in sprints (both half and full-court). Their shooting improved by at least 9%. The athletes also reported improved physical and mental well-being (Mah et al, 2011).Swimmers (male and female) who extended their sleep to 8+ hours:
Reaction times off diving blocks were faster, turn times were improved, kick strokes increased. Additionally, they experienced improved mood and decreased daytime sleepiness/fatigue (Vitale et al, 2019).Varsity tennis players who increased their sleep by at least nine hours a week:
The accuracy of the players’ serves increased significantly from about 36% to nearly 42%. The players experienced less sleepiness (Schwartz & Simon Jr, 2014).Male runners and volleyball players under 5 hours of sleep:
Both groups of athletes exhausted faster after sleep deprivation (Azboy & Kaygisiz, 2009).Injury risk:
Athletes who slept on average <7 hours per night were 1.7 times more likely to have had an injury compared with athletes who slept for ≥7 hours (Milewski et al, 2014).
Logically, it can be deduced that when sleep-deprived athletes are in a poorer physical condition and possess less neuromuscular coordination when performing the skills of a sport, they could be more prone to injury (Gao et al, 2019).
In lieu of all of this, if you're looking to reduce your risk of injury and improve your performance (both mentally and physically), ensure you are getting enough sleep each night! Make it a priority.
Here are some tips to incorporate that can help improve your sleep hygiene:
Keep a relatively consistent sleep schedule.
Keep your room quiet, dark and a relaxing temperature (around 20-22 degrees).
Warm bath/shower or meditation within an hour before bedtime.
Turn off electronic devices and reduce blue light within 2 hours before bed.
Limit your caffeine intake after midday.
Avoid large meals or alcohol right before bed time (ideally a couple of hours prior).
Sun exposure during the day to help maintain your natural circadian rhythm.
Exercise often! (light-moderate each day and high intensity 2-3 days a week).
To find out more, please get in touch via email: info@scienceoffitness.com.au