How Does Better Sleep Improve Athletic Performance? 5 Sleep Tips for Athletes
26 Jul 2024
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At the highest levels of athletic performance and competition, marginal gains can mean the difference between winning gold (just like what Hong Kong’s greatest fencers Cheung Ka Long and Vivian Kong achieved at the 2024 Paris Olympics), and going home without a medal. Major advances in the sports sciences have lifted the standards of competition to an all-time high, and as the stakes get higher, athletes are searching for any legal advantage that could boost performance.
One crucial factor that has gained significant attention in recent years is the role of quality sleep in sports performance and recovery. Coaches, teams, and sleep specialists are now recognizing the profound impact of sleep on athletes' overall well-being and their ability to excel in their respective sports. Many of the world’s most elite athletes, including Lebron James, Novak Djokovic and Hong Kong’s very own world-class swimmer Siobhán Haughey prioritize 10 to 12 hours of sleep every night. In fact, many of the top football clubs in England (including Manchester United) have dedicated sleep coaches for their players!
“My secret weapon is that since childhood, I have every night, had 10 hours of sleep. That's how I grew up.” - Eileen Gu, Olympic champion in freestyle skiing
It’s no secret. One of the most important elements that puts an athlete ahead of a rival is good sleep. Here, we explore the close connection between better sleep and improved athletic performance, along with five expert tips to help athletes optimize their sleep routine and achieve their best results.
Professional athletes are kept in optimum condition by following a tailored training plan that includes mental and physical conditioning, nutrition, hydration, and now, sleep. Sleep has been recognized as an important element in enhancing athletic performance based on the results of numerous studies. Coaches of top-tier athletes now focus on ensuring that athletes get enough sleep and quality sleep to perform at their peak.
Take former golf pro and bedding expert Nick Littlehales who is considered the first person to bring the importance of sleep to the attention of football clubs, initially working with Manchester United, he developed relationships with players from national and international teams as their sleep coach. It was this man who designed Cristiano Ronaldo's unique sleep pod which he occupies the night before matches, and who reconfigures hotel rooms on arrival and swaps out bedding to optimize next-day performance.
Or how about Roger Federer, who has famously credited his late-career revival including his epic 5-set Australian Open win against rival Rafael Nadal on getting 10 - 12 hours of sleep per night?
In the NBA, teams employ sleep consultants to optimize travel and practice schedules for recovery before big games. Two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry believes sleep is so important that his sleep routine includes the use of a special desensitizing flotation tank.
The average man on the street is well aware that sleep is vital to having the mental and physical ability to tackle each day at their best, but for athletes, who make a living from their bodies, they don’t just need to tackle each day, they have to succeed and push themselves constantly, taking larger toll on their well-being, and needing more time to rest and recover. Sleep recovery for athletes occurs because when they are asleep, the body releases growth hormone which promotes muscle growth, repair and fat burning, all of which helps an athlete’s body recover from the day’s training. Sleep is also essential to learning new skills, so for some sportsmen or women, their slumber is especially important to remember and be able to replay a new set move, for example.
The National Library of Medicine in the United States has compiled many tests on sleep’s impact on athletes. Here are a few summaries from their research:
Top athletes prioritize sleep and often sleep for up to 12 hours a night to allow their bodies to recover from the physical and mental strain they experience.
Nowadays, the introduction of sleep-tracking tools and apps (such as the Apple Watch, Oura Ring, Whoop) have introduced a new angle to optimizing sleep for athletes. While they are not 100% accurate, sleep trackers can provide useful insights into how well or poorly you’re sleeping. These products provide biological metrics, such as your Heart Rate Variability, Sleep Stages, Sleep latency (how long it takes for you to fall asleep) and more.
For athletes, this data allows coaches and trainers to adjust training, nutrition, and other elements based on an athlete's sleep quality and quantity. For example, if a player lacks sleep due to travel, training can be modified accordingly.
Why do athletes take advice on sleep as seriously as they do their fitness or diet? The benefits of getting enough quality sleep are far-reaching and go well beyond the next game.
Harder workouts
Waking from a good night’s sleep gives you the energy to push a bit harder and that goes for sports practice as well. If you are scheduled for a relatively more intense training session the next day, you’ll certainly benefit from a good night’s sleep.
Faster times or sprints
Rather obviously, if you are able to train harder then you can only improve your performance - whether you need to reduce your time or increase your distance.
Improved reactions
Just one night of no sleep can reduce your reaction times, both physical and mental, to that of someone who is too intoxicated to drive. With the right sleep, however, a tennis player’s next shot or a batter’s accuracy will both be improved.
Recovery
Sleep is not just about performance, it’s also about giving the body time to recover from the efforts of the day. Muscles need time to rest and rebuild in order to grow, and sleep is the only time that can actively happen, no matter how much you think you are ‘resting’ when awake.
Fewer injuries
Giving your body the time to recover, leads logically to picking up fewer injuries. When the body is fully recovered, smaller injuries have time to heal themselves, meaning that they have less chance of developing into more serious ailments that mean time off, surgery or even retirement.
Longer career
Fatigue has long been recognized as one of the leading reasons for the retirement of professional sports players, if they are lucky enough to avoid a career-ending injury. With bodies primed from the long-establish sleep routines that have take advantage of the benefits mentioned above, fatigue is far less likely to be an issue, leading these athletes to enjoy much longer professional playing time.
Whether you’re an athlete or not, you don’t need a customized sleeping pod to improve your sleep. Just follow our easy tips below to fall asleep faster and get deeper sleep longer:
Getting deep, restorative sleep is crucial for athletes to replenish energy stores, repair muscle tissue and maximize their performance. But quality sleep also benefits non-athletes by improving everyday health, wellness and productivity. In both situations, quality mattresses and pillows that minimize disruptions enable our bodies to fully recover from daily exertion.
The right pillow is also important for maintaining proper spinal alignment during sleep. The Miracle Pillow's adjustable height and memory foam composition allow it to mold to individual body contours, neck and head positioning preferences. This customized support can alleviate pressure typically felt by the shoulders and back.
In fact, the Miracle Pillow is not only the most popular in Hush Home’s collection, but it’s also pro athlete approved! We’re honored that many of Hong Kong’s 2024 Olympic athletes such as Russell Aylsworth, Lianne Yeung, Ceci Lee Sze Wing, Cheung Ka Long (and many more) have trusted the Miracle Pillow as their ultimate sleep companion.
Stephanie
Certified Wellness Consultant &
Co-founder of Hush Home
