The Serious Athletes Need To Sleep

We are constantly talking about and leveraging our athlete development pyramid.  Level 1 (the foundation) of the pyramid focuses on psychology, sleep, nutrition, mobility, flexibility, stability and strength.  These seven attributes are critical and paramount as it relates to athlete performance.  Today, we are going to focus on the sleep attribute of the foundation.

Danielle Pacheco of the Sleep Foundation recently wrote an editorial, How Much Sleep Do Student Athletes Need on sleep for athletes and her research yielded the following:

Sleep Statistics

• College athletes spend 27-41 hours per week training/practicing and playing.
• 42% of athletes report having poor sleep quality with 60% of students getting less than seven hours of sleep per night
• Student athletes need 9-10 hours of sleep per day
• Sleep is essential for athletes because it repairs the body after training and/or competition.  Athletes spend more time in slow wave sleep which is the stage of the sleep that releases the most growth hormone for muscle repair, bone growth and managing energy stores
• Good quality and quantity of sleep improves cognitive performance in judgment, focus and decision making

Consequences Of Lack Of Sleep

• Athletes who sleep less than 8hr are 1.7x more likely to sustain injury
• Lowers overall endurance
• Lowers reaction time

Factors That Negatively Influence Sleep Quality

• Irregular bedtimes
• Physical discomfort
• Pressure to perform
• Inadequate sleeping quarters
• Medical conditions
• Screen time
• Concussions

Tips For Better Quality Sleep

• Getting plenty of light in the day and avoiding screen time at night
• Keeping the bedroom cool, dark and quiet
• Avoiding caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol, especially in the afternoon and evening
• Avoiding large meals and excessive liquids before bedtime
• Winding down in the evening with a quiet book or other soothing activity
• Reserving the bed for sleep
• Getting out of bed and going to another room to do something calming if you can’t sleep
• Avoiding sleeping pills, as these can cause unwanted side effects
• Using cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) or relaxation and mindfulness techniques 

The daily demands of high school, college and professional athletes challenges the prioritization  of getting quality sleep.  As a former professional athlete, I know that time blocking is the best way to ensure that you are getting enough quality sleep each day.  At the end of the day, it comes down to how great you as an athlete want to be.  Prioritizing faith, family, school, sports and sleep over social media, watching TV, etc could be the difference between you performing well enough to make varsity, earn that college scholarship or getting drafted in your sports professional league.

Prepare To Perform,
Coach Stephens

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