Don’t Sleep On The Power Of Sleep For Athletes
Every athlete who is serious about upping their game is looking for every advantage to increase their performance. As a professional athlete, I became obsessed with finding every angle and avenue to get an edge. It is for that same reason that I founded Fully Equipped Athlete and wrote The Fully Equipped Playbook. Some of the tools I share in the Playbook take years of practice and dedication, but others can be mastered in a much shorter amount of time and can have a huge impact on your game!
What if I told you there was a way to increase your reaction time by 13%? What sort of training might you have to do in order to see this type of improvement? Maybe constant work in the batting cages, learning how to better time your swing, or maybe it’s adopting an intense workout routine.
But what if I told you it was something much simpler than that? Most athletes know that if they want to reach peak performance, they have to practice their sport, eat healthy, and work on their fitness. Many don’t realize that all of that effort can go to waste if their sleep schedule is less than optimal.
The Impact of Sleep On Performance
Simple lifestyle changes could have a big impact on your performance, and all you have to do is catch some extra ZZZs. Of all the ways that you can improve as an athlete, spending a little extra time under the covers can be the difference between waking up refreshed and ready to tackle the day, and trudging around like a zombie just going through the motions. To put it into context, a recent study from Stanford University found that a full 87% of US high school students were not getting the recommended amount of nightly sleep. If you commit to optimizing your sleep routine, you’re already going to be ahead of the competition!
Not only does getting extra sleep make you feel great, it also has many other benefits as well. When I was going through school and the minors, I’ll be the first to admit that my sleep schedule wasn’t optimal. Weird hours, staying up late, and even poor eating habits put a damper on my sleep time. It wasn’t until I progressed to the major leagues that I learned about the power of sleep and how it can aid in both recovery and performance. I made the decision then to dedicate myself to healthy sleep habits and I believe that helped me keep my spot in the bigs. As you will see from the research, this probably helped me stay in the league longer!
If you want to learn more about how I came to use sleep as a tool to elevate my game, you can check out the Recovery chapter in my Ebook, The Fully Equipped Playbook.
As a young athlete, there are so many things that can cause distractions that keep you from reaching your peak. Some of them are obvious, like chugging multiple energy drinks and staying up until 3 AM playing Fortnite. Others are more subtle, like stressing out over an upcoming test. While you think you might be able to power through it and make it through the next day on little sleep, the latest studies have shown that lack of sleep can make a big difference for even the most elite athletes.
I want to share some details and insights I gained researching more about the power of sleep on athletes. In recent years, there have been numerous studies conducted on how sleep impacts the performance of top athletes, and this chart shows some of the info I found.
Basketball players improved their shooting by 9% with extra sleep
In a 2011 study, NCAA basketball players were asked to spend 2-4 weeks building a baseline of their normal sleep pattern, but anywhere between 6 and 9 hours of sleep. Then, during the test period of 5-7 weeks, they were asked to attempt to be in bed a minimum of 10 hours each night. The study showed that those in the test group improved facets of their game such as sprint times, as well as free throws and three point shooting. During the test period free throws improved 9%, and three point shots improved 9.2%
A 2018 study examined the Twitter behavior of 112 NBA athletes and over 37,000 total Tweets from 2009 through 2016 and the impact it had on their performance. The study found that players shooting percentage was 1.7% lower following a night during which he tweeted during typical sleeping hours. Late-night tweeting was also associated with approximately 1.1 fewer points scored and 0.5 fewer rebounds in the next day’s game.
13% Increased response time for baseball players
A 2017 study tested 17 MLB players during spring training. The test subjects were first asked to complete a two day baseline period, then were randomly assigned into test and control groups where the test group was asked to sleep a minimum of 10 hours for five nights, while the control group was to maintain their base sleep patterns. After the test period, the test group showed a 13% improvement in reaction time compared to the control group. The test group also reported feeling less fatigue and sleepiness.
Extra sleep helped players stay in MLB longer
Starting in 2010, data was collected from a random sample of 80 MLB players from three different teams. Player status three seasons later was determined on Dec. 16, 2012. A player who was demoted to a lower league, unsigned, or no longer playing was deemed “inactive.”
The study found a correlation between the sleepiness of a MLB player and his longevity in the league. 72 percent of players with a low sleepiness score were still in the league at the follow-up point, compared with only 39 percent of players with a medium score and 14 percent of players with a high score.
BONUS - Sleeping more may help prevent injuries
A 2014 study found that high school athletes who slept less than 8 hours per night were 1.7 times more likely to suffer an injury than those students who slept on average greater than 8 hours per day. Not only does sleep keep you at your peak performance level, it also keeps you on the field!
Optimum sleep time
According to the CDC, 8-10 hours of sleep is recommended for 13-18 year olds, and 7 or more hours for adults aged 18 and higher. As the above studies have shown though, athletic performance appears to *increase* the closer a person approaches 10 hours of sleep, but performance can improve with a little over a half an hour of increased sleep time per night.
Additional Sleep Tips
These are a few nuggets that I’ve included from the Recovery section of my Ebook, The Fully Equipped Playbook. The book describes these tips in more detail, as well as many other great tools that are useful for athletes of all ages to elevate their game and optimize their lives.
Spend More Time In Bed
Have you ever tried to go to sleep after a big game and find that it takes forever to actually get to sleep? This is very common, and that’s why it’s important to add extra time to your sleep schedule. While you should be getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night, it may take you longer to actually fall asleep, and you should budget some extra time to lay in bed and allow yourself to unwind. Reading is also a great option, but make sure if you do that it’s a physical book! Why? See the next tip.
Decrease caffeine, alcohol, blue light
Most of you are probably aware that too much caffeine can keep you up at night. Contrary to what some might think, alcohol does not help you sleep no matter how much your grandpa might tell you he enjoys his “night cap”.
While avoiding caffeine and alcohol are pretty obvious tips, reducing blue light is also very important for inducing sleep. As hard as it may be, you should aim to put your phone away at least a half hour before you go to sleep (A Harvard study recommends at least two hours before). Put any other screens you might be using in night mode, and you might even consider picking up some blue light blocking glasses to help give your eyes a rest.
Consistent sleep cycle
Your body craves consistency when it comes to sleep. As an athlete, this can be difficult with travel, varying game times, and simply the distractions that come with life. While many people push themselves through lesser amounts of sleep during the week and try to make up the time by sleeping in on the weekends, you are much better served *planning* ahead so that you have a sleep schedule that works for you every day.
Your body doesn’t care if it is a weekend or not, and developing a schedule that you can follow daily through the whole week is going to allow you to get consistent quality sleep. Some experimentation will probably be necessary. Are you an early bird or night owl? Listen to your body, and then come up with a plan that works for you.
Avoid eating/drinking before bed
Who doesn’t love a late night snack? Your body. In order to get the best sleep possible, you also need to take into account what you are eating and drinking. You should eat your last meal a minimum of two to three hours before you go to bed. If you need something to keep your stomach from growling after dinner, try a banana, piece of cheese, or crackers (no spicy doritos). Try to avoid foods high in fats, as they are slow to digest and can have an effect on your sleep cycles. Also limit your fluid intake as well to avoid the need to wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. As I mentioned, alcohol and caffeine should be avoided entirely in the evening.
Evaluate your sleep environment
Ok great, so you’ve made a sleep plan, you’ve avoided drinking and eating, cut down on the blue light, and you’re in bed ready to get a great night's sleep. How do you get the best night of sleep though? There are three things that you should be optimizing in order to make yourself comfortable and soundly asleep throughout the night.
First, you should experiment to find what temperature helps you sleep best. Fan on or off? Lots of covers or few? What is the room temp? There are many great products out there that can help with the temperature of your bed to get the optimal temperature. You can check those out in more detail in The Fully Equipped Playbook.
Second, you should block out unnecessary noise like cars driving past or a noisy neighbor. There are many devices, and apps on your phone, that produce soothing, ambient noise that will block out the external distractions and help you get uninterrupted sleep.
Third, if necessary, you should “light proof” your room. Depending on your sleep schedule, you may find yourself waking up with the sunlight and the roosters. For those that prefer to sleep later though, blocking sunlight will help you stay sleeping longer. This can be as simple as buying thicker blinds or buying blackout shades for your windows if necessary. Figuring out your optimum sleep schedule will help you decide what your needs are here.
Sleep is an important tool in the Fully Equipped Athlete Toolkit
During the course of the day, every athlete must spend time improving their skills, shaping their bodies and minds, as well as completing everyday life tasks. Sleep is the glue that holds it all together. Using the power of sleep can be a tool to help you feel rested, improve your skills, avoid injury, and give you a competitive edge. If you want to know more, check out The Fully Equipped Playbook, or shoot me a message and we can work together on how you can use sleep to become a Fully Equipped Athlete.
