Sleep 

 

We talk about being a 24 hour athlete. This means the time after the workout is equally as important as the workout itself. Proper sleep habits are a big part of being that 24 hour athlete.  Getting good sleep is one of the most important parts of improving performance becuase it helps aid in your recovery. During sleep, your body is building and repairing muscles, glycogen storage, protein synthesis is increased and Human Growth Hormone is produced at higher quantities. Sleeping bad is a double-edged sword. When we consistently sleep poorly, our body doesn't adapt to training and our training performances diminish; thus giving us little or no gains from our hard work. Getting good sleep allows you to have better quality workouts, improves mood and increases reaction time. Poor sleep hinders recovery and performance.  Every function of our body is effected by sleep habits for good or bad. 

 

TRY TO GET AT LEAST 8 HOURS OF SLEEP. FOR TEENAGES WHO ARE ATHLETES, I WOULD EVEN RECOMMEND UP TO 10 hours.

 

Sleep Tips

1. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time each night.

2. Try to get as many hours asleep before midnight as possible. 

           " Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man health wealthy and wise"

3. Make sure your room is quiet, cool and dark. (white noise is OK)

4. You should NEVER watch TV, play on your phone, computer or tablet in your bedroom before bed. Keep electronic devices out of your bed room. 

5. Eat a small meal that is high in protien righ before bed.

6. Avoid foods like caffeine, candy, soda within 4 hours of bed time

7. Take a 15 to 60 minute nap between 10am - 2pm. Avoid naps after 3pm. the earlier the better.  

8. If you have trouble sleeping, take a hot bath 1-2 hours before you go to bed.

9. Exercising daily helps promote a good night's sleep. 

10. Lack of sleep causes stress and stress causes lack of sleep. Learn good coping and relaxation techniques to limit unneeded stress. 

Good foods before bed time  - DO NOT EACH LARGE MEALS BEFORE BED

Banana - dates - figs -milk -tuna - turkey - whole grain crackers -yogurts - sweat potato - complex carbohydrates. These are foods high in an amino acid called tryptophan, which helps promote sleep. 

 

Cherries - Contain Melatonin - sleep aid

Banana  - Contains magnesium and potassium - muscle relaxers  

 

HECK YEAH

Food high in protien will aid in protien synthisis which occurs predominantly durring sleep.  Click HERE for more infomation. 

 

Avoid The following foods before bed

Bacon - chocolate - eggplant - ham - potatos - sauerkrout - sugar - sausage - spinach - tomatoes. 

These food are high in the Amino Acid tyramine witch promotes a release of norepinephrine which stimulates the brain and body.

 

NO WAY  - The following will garentee you a poor night of sleep. 

candy - caffine  - soda - fast food - fatty foods. 

 

Other Sleep aids

• Lavander Oils - Relaxes your body and helps you unwind

• Chamomile - calms and restores

• menthoal/peperment- soothes and comfort

• calcium, potassium magnisium and B vitamins 

 

Interesting fact:  Sleep helps restore appetite hormones to normal levels. Studies have shown that obese people tend to not get enouph sleep. One study showed a 20% increase in food consumption due to lack of sleep. 

 

Click HERE for a sleep study done with standford basketball team.

Results 

• Sprint Speed increased

• Free throw percentage increased

• 3 point percentage increased

 

Runners World Article HERE