Optimum sleep is essential for all, especially athletes, irrespective of the line of jobs. It is more than a night-time routine where people hibernate and become unconscious for hours. Sleep is essential to health and well-being, as many essential body processes occur during sleep.
Optimum performance on the field is tied to good sleep habits. Athletes particularly need sleep as it is primal to building lean muscles and can help them feel refreshed. Besides, every athlete needs to strive for at least eight hours of sleep.
However, not all athletes can boast of getting the essential and required hours of sleep. This might be due to excessive pain, stress, anxiety, etc. However, there are several ways to contribute to quality sleep, so let’s quickly explore them one by one.
- Five Ways to Improve Sleep Qualities in Athletes:
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Calm Your Mind before Bed
One of the common factors that affect sleep is anxiety and stress, which are pretty standard in athletes. Worry or concern about an upcoming event or other life stressors, especially at night, can affect sleep negatively. However, you can do various things to calm your mind and relax when it’s time to sleep. Consider meditation as it engages the brain to calm your nerves.
Also, there are various relaxation methods that one can engage which will be effective depending on the stressor and individual. For instance, it could be reading a book, deep breathing, visualization, etc. Athletes will also benefit from a deep massage at bedtime. A relaxing shower can also help you bring down your body temperature, which will calm the nerves.
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Use Natural Products
One can also engage in some plant-based goodness to improve sleep. One such product is CBD, one of the derivatives of the cannabis plant, which comes with a series of therapeutic properties that can contribute to quality sleep, among other benefits, and are available in different forms, including CBD oil, CBD gummy, from Sunday Scaries.
An athlete will find CBD beneficial as it supports healthy sleep and takes care of various issues that affect sleep. As a result, when an athlete uses CBD, it can help relieve pain and reduce anxiety and stress, setting the stage for deep sleep. Besides, CBD minimizes the time spent in the REM sleep cycle. Scientists believe that the less time spent at this sleep stage, the better your sleep, as the REM sleep cycle induces dreams and nightmares.
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Observe a Sleep Schedule
Everyone has an internal clock that determines their sleep and wake-up time. The body expects one to go to bed at a particular time range and wake up at another specific time range. Maintaining a particular sleep schedule – going to bed and waking up simultaneously is essential to regulating this internal clock and boosting sleep quality.
When the internal clock is held, it forces the body to start feeling sleepy when it’s time for bed and gear you to consciousness when it’s wake-up time. Everyone needs to strive for a consistent sleep schedule, especially athletes.
Even though everyone cannot be a morning person, making an effort for the change can transform your sleep quality. Finally, refuse the temptation to sleep in during the weekends since you have nowhere to go. Such habits disrupt the sleep cycle. Also, if you nap during the day, make it short as long naps disturb sleep at night.
- Be Smart with Your Food Choice
Athletes also need to be smart with their food choices as it affects sleep health. Some food choices one should avoid, especially in the evening, are:
- Alcohol: It disrupts the sleep cycle, disturbing individuals from getting to the rapid eye movement sleep stage. Besides, one will likely wake up many times at midnight to empty the bladder.
- Soda and Coffee: The caffeine content of soda makes it the wrong choice for the evening. Being a stimulant will keep you awake and active for a long time.
- Pizza: Many people love pizza as it is easy to make and delicious. However, the ingredients might fuel insomnia since the excessive fat in the cheese and the acids might affect one’s sleep. Also, the risk of heartburn is high due to the acid reflux that one might experience.
- Green tea: This is a terrific choice for weight loss. However, one should not use it in the evening as it is also rich in stimulants that could affect sleep.
- Boost Light Exposure in the Day
Not getting adequate light exposure might make sleep challenging. Every human has a natural clock called the circadian rhythm. Exposure to natural light triggers some mechanism in the body that reveals its daytime. This makes it essential to consider light therapy as a tool to boost sleep health.
The body manufactures a hormone called melatonin around night-time, which is in charge of sleep. The internal body clock works with external light to produce melatonin in the body. When there is not much light exposure during the day, melatonin production will be hampered, which will affect sleep. Athletes can ensure they have their training outside. It is an effective way to ensure the circadian rhythm is in tune. Also, dim all lights when bedtime to kick start melatonin production.
Conclusion
Improving sleep quality is essential for athletes for optimum performance. The tips discussed in this article can help an athlete achieve better sleep at night.
