Sleep and Recovery from Exercise

Are you struggling to recover between training sessions? Getting a good night's sleep is probably the answer. Despite advancements in recovery techniques the most important recovery method we have is sleep. Sleep debt is a common problem and the article "Sleep may be Athletes' Best Performance Enhancer" from Psychiatric News explains why. Also there may be a "secret advantage" to getting enough sleep due to your brain continuing to learn even in the absence of practice while asleep.

Athletes aren't the only ones who benefit from getting enough sleep. Consider this CBS News article outlining a study linking sleep and obesity levels. Individuals who average 4 hours of sleep or less per night are 73% more likely to be obese than those who got a full nights rest. As the amount of sleep goes up to 5 hours a night the likelihood of obesity comes down to 50% and goes down further to 23% at 6 hours a night.

An average of 7-8 hours a night seems to be amount required for most people. You can also maximize the quality of your sleep by using the right sort of pillow and a quality mattress, ensuring your bedroom is dark and quiet and at a comfortable temperature. Short naps of 10-20 minutes during the day can help offset sleep debt but nothing beats a good night's sleep when it comes to recovery.