The Importance of Sleep for Performance
By Anna Bechtold PT, DPT, OCS, CF-L1
Everyone knows the feeling after they get a good night’s sleep, waking up feeling rested, energetic, ready to crush a workout and your workday. People spend roughly 1/3 of their life sleeping, however one third of the US population deals with sleep disturbances. Not only does sleep impact a person’s mood and energy level, but it is a critical period where the body recovers. Sleep is critical for pain relief, tissue healing, immune function, cardiovascular health, depression and anxiety, cognitive function and learning. Research has shown that sleep deprivation results in increased pain, poor tissue healing, reduced quality of life, depression and anxiety increase, difficulty learning new tasks, impaired memory and overall quality of life. The list goes on. It has also been shown to predispose you to higher risk of injury. Chronic lack of sleep or sleep disturbance can also predispose you to other major health problems including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and dementia.
Between 7-10 hours of quality sleep are optimal for overall function. Gone are the days where people pride themselves on how little sleep you get each night because you are too busy being productive. What happens though if pain is what is causing you to experience a lack of sleep or a lack of quality sleep? Often when dealing with an injury, your ability to sleep is impacted secondary to pain. There are multiple techniques to help prime your environment and body to get better quality sleep.
1. Consistently go to bed and get up at the same time each day.
2. Develop a relaxing bedtime routine (warm bath, meditation, stretching). Avoid
stimulating activities right before bed like watching TV or looking on your phone.
3. Make your room cold ranging between 60-65 degrees
4. Make sure the room is dark
5. Avoid vigorous exercise 2-3 hours prior to going to bed as it stimulates your body and
brain, creating a harder time calming down and relaxing.
6. Avoid caffeinated food or drinks at least 4 hours prior to sleep.
7. Avoid spicy food and alcohol at least 3 hours before bed.
8. Avoid daytime napping UNLESS you already get 7 hours of sleep separate from that nap.
9. Reserve your bedroom for sleep and sex. Do not eat, work, watch TV in bed.
Pick one or two of these techniques that are easily executed to start and add in others as you go. If you feel that you have issues with sleep because of injury, let us help you sleep better so you can perform better!
Reference:
Siengsukon, C. F., Al-Dughmi, M., & Stevens, S. (2017). Sleep Health Promotion: Practical Information for Physical Therapists. Physical Therapy, 97(8), 826-836. doi:10.1093/ptj/pzx057
