Pillow to Platform – The importance of sleep in an athlete’s recovery and performance

Before we delve into the specifics of how athletic performance is affected by our sleeping patterns, let’s take a look at the basics of why we need sleep as human beings. Sleep plays an integral role in human health. From day to day physical functioning, to cognitive functioning, sleep is a vital (yet often overlooked) factor in our general well-being. It’s as important to us as water and food - so much so that we spend about one third of our lives sleeping. While we sleep, our brain is very much awake and working hard. Many biological processes take place which allow us to operate the following day. While we sleep our body repairs cells, releases hormones, restores energy, our brain stores new information and eliminates toxic waste, and our nerve cells communicate and reorganize to support healthy brain function. Sleep is a non-negotiable requirement of life and without these processes, we simply wouldn’t function. Throughout the 24 hours in a day, our body is in either one of two states; catabolic (muscle destroying) or anabolic (muscle growing). When we sleep our body enters the latter, anabolic, stage. This therefore has the effect of increasing the production of hormones such as IGF1 (insulin like growth factor), and reducing cortisol levels. IGF1 is a hormone which is found in the blood and functions as a regulator of the effects of the growth hormone (namely bone and muscle growth). It essentially binds with amino acids to support muscle repair and muscle growth. Cortisol is the ‘fight or flight’ hormone in our bodies, commonly referred to as the stress hormone. Among many of the functions of cortisol, it helps control the sleep/wake cycle. Typically, cortisol levels are lower when you fall asleep and throughout the night, and then rise in order wake you and increase your alertness in the morning. If you find your sleep is consistently being disturbed, then high cortisol levels are likely the culprit! The more disturbed our sleep is, the more catabolism is taking place. Conversely, the higher quality sleep we get, the more anabolism takes place. So you can see why it may be worth paying attention to sleep if you’re looking to maintain or build muscle.

It is no secret that sleep plays a crucial role in an athlete’s recovery, and as powerlifters we should be aiming to maximise our recovery from hard training sessions. If you find yourself training hard, looking after your nutrition, yet still not quite performing as you hoped, sleep can often times be the missing link. With busy schedules, study, or working life, sleep can often take a back seat in terms of our priorities, and this is quite honestly a mistake as the impact of sleep deprivation on our ‘gains’ is extensive. Extensive studies have concluded that sleep deprivation can impact an athlete’s focus, reaction time, and recovery. One such study showed that pulling an ‘all-nighter’ had a similar effect on an individual’s reaction time as having a blood alcohol level of .05%. Either of these scenarios have the potential to cut your reaction time in half, not exactly ideal if you’re spotting someone! If we’re sleep deprived, our focus isn’t 100%, our muscle repair is hindered and our response rate is significantly reduced, all have these have the knock on effect of increasing our risk of injury. A study noted in the clinical journal of sports medicine, examined the effects of chronic sleep loss among young athletes. The study revealed that young athletes who had less than eight hours of sleep were 1.7 times more likely to pick up an injury than those who got more than eight hours sleep. In addition if we’re not totally alert in the gym, then we run the risk of making errors that could’ve been avoided had we slept enough. Failure to get enough sleep reduces our attention span and a reduced attention span increases our chances of injury in the gym. Lack of sleep over a long period of time has been linked to a wide array of health issues, including, but not limited to, mental health issues, reduced immunity and inflammation. As I mentioned earlier, lack of sleep causes an increase in catabolism and so by depriving our body of sleep we’re depriving ourselves of the best chance to reap the rewards of a hard training cycle. A good training cycle without a good sleep routine, is like a cupcake without the icing, it just doesn’t make sense. I think it’s pretty conclusive that as athletes, we should be making a conscious effort to improve our sleep in order to supplement our hard work in training. Here’s some useful tips you can apply in taking the first steps at sleeping better:

1). Practice good sleep hygiene. This is first on the list for a good reason. Stick to a sleep schedule, go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time, even on weekends. This routine will help your body clock regulate itself which in turn, will help you fall asleep easier and you’ll wake up feeling more refreshed every day.

2). Avoid having caffeine a couple hours before bed. Caffeine can disrupt your sleep and it is advisable not to have it in the evening especially if you want to get to sleep early.

3). Make time for yourself to wind down after the day. This is a simple but highly effective tool in improving your sleep. Activities such as reading or listening to music before bed are shown to help improve the quality of your sleep.

4). Reduce screen time. Put the phone down. Social media can wait until the morning, your cortisol levels will thank you for it.

5). Create a good sleep environment. By this I mean only use your bedroom as a bedroom, not an office or a lounge where you can watch TV all day. By doing so it will strengthen the association between your bedroom and sleep. If you have work materials, computers or televisions in your room you’re less likely to be able to ‘switch off’ and it’ll be much harder for you to get to sleep.

6). Talk to a Doctor. If you’re still having difficulty sleeping despite trying everything then it may be worth talking to your doctor. He or she will help determine what may be the cause and are best qualified to help you.