You Snooze, You Win
In the pursuit of qualifying for the Olympics and the chance to stand on the podium, athletes often push their bodies to the limit.
Amidst rigorous training, meticulous nutrition plans, optimized supplement stacks, and cutting-edge technology, one fundamental yet often underestimated aspect of recovery remains paramount: sleep.
Dr. Jessica Bartley, the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s Senior Director of Psychological Services, highlights the importance of sleep in an NBC interview: “We’re looking at matters of one second, one goal, or one point. When we look at all of the different factors and where we can get an edge, sleep is definitely one of those that can put us in an incredible position.”
Physical Restoration for Athletes
Olympic athletes use sleep as the cornerstone of physical recovery. During deep sleep, the body undergoes tissue repair, muscle recovery, and bone regeneration—processes critical for athletes who subject their bodies to intense physical stress.
Growth hormone secretion during deep sleep accelerates muscle recovery, helping athletes bounce back faster from grueling training sessions and competitions.
Ken Vick, of Vive Recovery Studio is an international sports performance expert who has worked with hundreds of Olympic athletes, states, “You just can’t out-recover bad sleep. At least not in any sustainable way.” He emphasizes that sleep is the most important factor in recovery, particularly for the central nervous system. and he has the data to back it up.
“Over the last 4 Olympic Games I’ve seen the daily data on hundreds of Olympic athletes, including their Heart Rate Variability, their CNS function on monitoring tests, and their own self-reports. Sleep is the factor that is the most important in recovery. Particularly in the central nervous system. Few things can help you recover there and quality sleep is the most important, hands-down.”
Cognitive Benefits of Sleep
The benefits of sleep extend beyond physical recovery. REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is essential for cognitive functions such as memory consolidation, learning, and emotional regulation.
For athletes, this means better decision-making, improved focus, and enhanced resilience against stress. Memory consolidation during REM sleep is vital for athletes mastering new techniques or strategies.
The Science of Sleep Phases
Sleep is a dynamic and complex process essential for recovery and overall health. It comprises several stages, each playing a unique role in rejuvenating the body and mind. The two primary types of sleep are Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep and Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep.
NREM Sleep
- Stage 1: The lightest stage of sleep where the body transitions from wakefulness, lasting only a few minutes.
- Stage 2: Characterized by light sleep where body temperature drops and heart rate slows, preparing the body for deep sleep.
- Stage 3: Also known as slow-wave sleep (SWS) or deep sleep, this is the most restorative phase, crucial for physical recovery, muscle repair, and immune function.
REM Sleep
- REM Sleep: Occurs about 90 minutes after falling asleep, characterized by rapid eye movements, increased brain activity, and vivid dreaming. REM sleep is essential for cognitive functions such as memory consolidation, learning, and emotional regulation.
The Impact of Sleep on Athletic Performance
Health and Recovery
The foundation of performance is health. Without good health, training and competition are impossible.
Deep sleep is crucial for the body’s recovery processes, including tissue repair, muscle building, and bone strengthening, facilitated by the release of growth hormone.
Quality sleep also influences various bodily functions, reducing the risk of chronic conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, and supporting the production of hematopoietic stem cells, which are vital for a robust immune response.
Enhanced Performance
Both increased quantity and quality of sleep significantly improve athletic performance.
A Stanford study found that men’s basketball players who extended their sleep to 10 hours per night ran faster in sprints and improved their shooting accuracy by over 9%.
Similarly, swimmers who increased their sleep to 10 hours showed faster reaction times, improved turn times, and better kick strokes.
Varsity tennis players who extended their sleep to at least nine hours improved serve accuracy significantly and felt less sleepy.
Effects of Sleep Deprivation
Insufficient sleep can severely impair athletic performance. Key negative effects include slower reaction times, reduced decision-making abilities, decreased accuracy, and quicker exhaustion.
Poor sleep also impacts executive functions, leading to delayed decisions and increased mistakes. Serve accuracy in tennis players can drop by up to 53% after sleep deprivation.
Additionally, runners and volleyball players tend to exhaust more quickly when sleep-deprived, and poor sleep habits are linked to lower resistance to illness and higher injury rates among middle and high school athletes.
Common Reasons for Poor Sleep
In our quest for optimal health and performance, sleep often gets overlooked. Here are four common reasons why you might not be getting the rest you need:
- Stress and Anxiety: High levels of stress and anxiety can keep your mind racing at night, making it difficult to fall asleep. Try incorporating relaxation techniques like deep breathing or meditation into your bedtime routine.
- Poor Sleep Environment: Your sleep environment plays a crucial role in the quality of your rest. Ensure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and cool. Investing in a comfortable mattress and pillows can also make a significant difference.
- Irregular Sleep Schedule: Consistency is key when it comes to sleep. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day helps regulate your body’s internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up naturally.
- Technology Use Before Bed: The blue light emitted by phones, tablets, and computers can interfere with your ability to fall asleep. Try to avoid screens at least an hour before bedtime to help your body wind down.
Emily Clark, a licensed clinical and sport psychologist with the USOPC, emphasizes, “Sleep is pretty foundational to both performance and health, both in the short term and long term. Many athletes say sleep is a priority, but often their life circumstances make it really challenging.”
Overcoming Challenges for Athletes trying To Use Sleep To Win
Obtaining quality sleep can be challenging for Olympic athletes due to factors such as pre-competition anxiety, jet lag from international travel, and suboptimal sleep environments. Here are some strategies to overcome these challenges:
Managing Insomnia
Gabby Thomas, a sprinter and Tokyo Olympics medalist, emphasizes the importance of a strict bedtime routine. “The biggest takeaway for me is that sleep is a public health crisis and as a society we don’t recognize that. Lifestyle stressors have a significant impact on sleep and are linked to many chronic health problems later in life. So, while I prioritize my sleep to be one of the best runners in the world, I’m also aware of the long-term health consequences of not getting good sleep.”
Thomas, who earned an undergrad degree in neurobiology from Harvard, starts her sleep routine around 8:00 p.m., shutting off her TV, phone, and all external communications before getting in bed. “It is most definitely the most important part of my training, and I can’t stress that enough,” she said
Coping with Jet Lag
Ryan Crouser, a shot put legend, credits managing his sleep as critical when traveling for competitions.
As a High Performance consultant, Vick creates individual plans for athletes to combat jet lag. “We generally ask them to start adjusting a few days before leaving and then use timing of light exposure and avoidance, along with melatonin or caffeine, to shift the circadian rhythm. After that, the rest is about counter-measures to minimize disruption so they can sleep.”
Establishing a Routine
Canadian beach volleyball Olympian Melissa Humana-Paredes emphasizes the importance of a consistent sleep routine. “My current routine is starting to wind down around 9pm. Lights dimmed, packing for the next day, skincare routine, likely a chamomile tea in hand, scrolling on my phone for 10-15minutes and lights out by 10pm.”
She knows its important to her chances in Paris, “Sleep is one of my favorite ways to recover. I don’t like compromising on sleep.”
Optimizing Environmental Factors
Create a sleep environment that works for you. The USOPC Sleep Optimization Program provides tailored recommendations, including adjusting bedtime routines and managing environmental factors like light and temperature. Managing temperature is a significant focus, with Team USA bringing portable AC units for every room since the Paris Athletes Village doesn’t have air conditioning.
Tokyo Gold Medalist Kelsey Mitchell loves her cooling mattress pad to get an optimal sleep during heavy training. So in Paris she’s bringing it with. Vick, who works with Mitchell shares, ‘Why wouldn’t she make sure she’s sleeping her best. The sport comes down to hundreths of a second.”
Reducing Stress Over Sleep
Dr. Bartley of the USOPC notes, “Sleep is their number-one concern. A lot of athletes are distressed about jet lag and sleep. They ask us, ‘How do I get enough sleep to perform at my best?’ Sleep is often highly correlated with mental health concerns.”
Remember, one or two nights of bad sleep won’t sink you. It’s the accumulation of benefits and avoiding the accumulation of sleep debt over time that matters.
Conclusion
For Olympic athletes, sleep is a non-negotiable element of their training regime. By understanding the profound impact of sleep on recovery and implementing evidence-based strategies to optimize sleep quality, athletes can unlock their full potential and achieve their goals.
TL;DR
- Sleep is crucial for athletes, aiding in physical recovery, cognitive function, and overall health.
- Increasing sleep quality and quantity significantly improves performance, while lack of sleep impairs it.
- Olympic athletes use sleep as a recovery tool through various strategies to ensure quality sleep, highlighting its non-negotiable role in their training.
