In sports, it's not just the hard work that an athlete does on the field but it is also important to give their body the required rest to recover, which can be in active or passive forms. This blog mainly focuses on sleep, a passive form of recovery, to improve performance.

Sleep is one of the essential components of life. It helps the body to repair and restore from daily stress. It is said that for every 2 hours a person is awake and stressed, it takes 1 hour of sleep to recover.

Sleep regulation

Two main systems work together to promote the sleep cycle: circadian rhythms and sleep-wake homeostasis.

Circadian rhythm is the biological clock that controls your sleep timing and tendency to wake in the morning. Sleep-wake homeostasis regulates sleep intensity, which is influenced by melatonin (released from the pineal gland due to signals from the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is stimulated by the light on the eyes).

Stages of sleep

The first 3 stages are the Non-Rapid Eye Movements (NREM) stages, and the last stage is the Rapid Eye Movements (REM) stage.

Stage 1

Transition between wakefulness and sleep (5 to 10 mins).

Stage 2

Brain activity starts reducing the body's heart rate and temperature (20 mins).

Stage 3

Blood pressure and breathing rate decrease, and the body goes into atonia.

REM sleep

The brain becomes active, and hormonal activity is high.

Sleep recommendation

For an adult, it is between 7 to 9 hours for optimal performance of daily tasks; however, due to their heavy training schedule, an athlete requires 9 to 10 hours of sleep for better performance.

Many athletes cannot meet this general recommendation due to high training load, travel, and stress. Studies have shown that sleep disturbance affects an athlete’s recovery, training, and performance. Some ways to improve sleep include:

1. Sleep education

2. Screen for sleep disturbance

3. Encourage naps

4. Bank sleep

In a recent systematic review, 25 studies implemented interventions like sleep hygiene, naps, sleep extensions, light manipulation, cold water immersion, mindfulness, or combining two or more strategies. They found that naps and sleep extensions most effectively improved athlete performance. It was also found that adding a 20-to-90-minute nap to regular night sleep can restore performance decrements.

Hence, to conclude, it is well understood that sleep isn’t just resting; it is a strategy for success in sports. Athletes can maximize their potential using the above-mentioned strategies, ensuring top performance, swift recovery, and lasting well-being!

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