Sleep And Your Athlete: The Most Potential For Positive Impact On Athletic Performance

Sleep has “the most potential for positive impact on athletic performance,” according to sleepforsuccesswestport.com.  More than training modifications, coaching, nutrition, or conditioning, scientists have called it "the most potent performance-enhancing activity that we know of. There's nothing that you can do, there's no drug, there's no routine, there's no food you can eat that's going to have a bigger impact on your performance scientifically than the sleep you get at night.

We discussed EVERYTHING you need to know about sleep and raising athletes in our latest LIVE Facebook Video with sleep expert Dr. Amy Bender. 

https://youtu.be/n_rpIHp6btQ

 

It's also available on our podcast (see above) or on iTunes and Spotify. 

Some of the topics we discussed...

Understanding your child's sleep chronotype, the ideal amount of sleep by age, elite athlete's sleep schedules, how the loss of sleep impacts recovery and performance, and can you "bank' sleep?

(The contents of these videos and podcasts are not to take the place of your health care provider. Always consult with your doctor first.)

Time Stamps For Topics

2:18: Why is sleep important?

3:15: Sleep problems as an epidemic

4:15: Anxiety and electronic devices impacting sleep

6:10: Melatonin as a naturally-occurring sleepiness hormone & the impact of sleep

8:00: Aligning sleep with chronotype & light

9:45: Ideal amount of sleep by age

11:12: How much sleep are star athletes getting?

12:25: Sleep and lapses in attention

13:40: Sleep and injury in young athletes

15:45: Sleep loss and delayed injury healing

18:00: Sleep and immunity/illness

20:20: Sleep and athletic performance

22:51 “Can napping replace nighttime sleep.”

24:41  Sleep and mental health

27:00: Excess sleeping on weekends ("social jet lag”) & its impact

29:30: Early morning tournaments & combatting sleepiness (parents)

34:12: Early morning tournaments & combatting sleepiness (child athletes)

36:18: Improving melatonin secretion in kids via food or supplements

36:17: Sleep improvement techniques & tips

40:28: Sleep schedule leading up to a tournament & banking sleep

42:26: Increasing alertness before a competition

44:00: Caffeine, alertness, and sleep disturbance

46:02: Light glasses and lightboxes

47:35: Sleep & academic performance

48:31: Ideal sleep environment

49:10: Athlete sleep screening questionnaire  

More Resources For You And Your Athlete

4-7-8 Breathing Technique

Cognitive Shuffling

Sleepstudy.com

Follow Dr. Bender on Instagram & Twitter @Sleep4Sport

Follow Dr. Sam Maniar at  Centerforpeakperformance.com and Twitter @sam_maniar

Follow Asia Mape and ILTWYP here.