Exercise Benefits of Sleep and Recovery for Athletes

Jerrell Howell
sleep and recovery
Athletes and clients listen up!

Too often athletes and clients work really hard to accomplish a goal only to have it halted or derailed by an injury due to lack of proper recovery. Granted, all injuries are not the result of improper recovery, and some things we can’t prevent. For the sake of this article, we will discuss some of the things you can do to help reduce the risk of injury and increase performance.

Here are some recommendations and guidelines for you, so that you can apply pressure and perform better.

Sleep and Recovery Benefits:
  • This first thing you need to know is SLEEP IS YOUR BODY’S NUMBER 1 RECOVERY TOOL. 
  • Lack of sleep leads to overtraining and a higher risk of injury. Athletes that get less than 8 hours of sleep a night are 1.7x more likely to get injured than those who get more than 8 hours.
  • Good quality sleep improves mental and emotional stability to keep you body calm and focused.
Sleep and Recovery Guidelines:
  • Get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Add an extra hour after competition
  • Nap during the day to rejuvenate your body and focus. Do this only when able to, keeping in mind homework, classes, studying and other responsibilities.
    • 10-20 minutes boosts alertness and energy
    • 30 minutes leaves you feeling groggy
    • 60 minutes best for improving memory, focus, and creativity
  • Utilize recovery tools and techniques to decrease the soreness and promote recovery (foam roll, band stretch, partner stretch, lacrosse ball massage, stem machines, static stretching, etc.)
Sleep and recovery Tips
  • Turn off all electronic devices at least 30 minutes prior to going to bed (TikTok, your gf/bf, and the game can all wait. It/ they will be there when you wake up in the morning).
  • A cool dark, quite room is the best environment for sleep. Add a fan for a little razzle dazzle.
  • Between the hours of 1pm-4 pm is the best nap time.
  • If you cannot fall asleep, focus on relaxing instead of trying to fall asleep.

So the bottom line is this, if you want to take your performance to the next level, MAKE SLEEP A PRIORITY!

 by Jerrell Howell

Apply Pressure Fitness

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