This is a sponsored guest post by Richard Meyer, who is Founder/ Main editor at NerdSleep.Com
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If you’re an athlete wondering why your stamina or performance has a hit a plateau recently, lack of sleep might me the culprit. In addition to enhancing focus, ample sleep also boosts the performance index and muscle repair rate for athletes.
Considered part of elite sports training, sleep ethics for athletes is vouched as the First Priority for most coaches too.
According to NBA superstar Steve Nash, “If you nap every game day, all those hours add up and it allows you to get through the season better”.
5 Ways to Sleep Like a Top Athlete
According to recent studies, basketball players showed 9% increase in accuracy of shooting hoops when they had good sleep the prior night. Moreover, sleep strategies for Athletes are based on empirical calculations from the secret vaults of sleep science.
So, here are five winning sleep habits of top athletes you can use to boost your energy and performance levels:
1. Start your Training Earlier
Our biological clock feels sleepy when the sun goes down. Darkness is a universal trigger to secrete melatonin.
If you begin your daily workouts earlier than usual, you’ll get more exposure to natural light and secrete less melatonin. Plus, you will be ready for bed at an ideal time.
However, missing or cutting sleep is dangerous for sportsperson and fitness aficionados. So, if you’re getting up early to train, make sure you also go to bed early to compensate.
Ensure that you sleep at least 7-8 hours per day to prevent feeling sleepy before the end of the day.
2. Cut out Blue Lights
Light is a natural trigger for wakefulness. Moreover, Blue light fatigue interrupts your natural sleep cycle.
For better athletic performance, cultivate a habit of cutting out lights (including that of your phones) 1-2 hours before bedtime. This will help you easily fall asleep at a specific time every night.
Furthermore, you can also replace your routine of watching TV before bed with sleep teas made of Chamomile, Valerian or Lavender.
Another helpful tip is to keep your room clean by using the the best vacuum cleaner. This will prevent dust allergies and guarantee sound sleep.
3. Meditate Before Sleep
Yet another significantly important part of the sleep process for athletes is the winding down process.
To fall asleep fast without wasting time, meditate 30 minutes before sleep to reduce your tensions and worries effectively.
If you’re aiming for a medal, meditation will do wonders! Meditation also encourages mindful sleep which helps to reset your biological clock easily too.
4. Take Power Naps
A strategy adopted by the best athletes all around the world, power napping helps in preventing drowsiness during the day. Science advocates that long naps during the day induce grogginess while power naps act as recovery naps, bettering your performance during the day.
If you feel sleepy, it is best advised that you take a 10-20 minutes power nap before working out to improve your energy and stamina. Moreover, a power nap prior to routine workouts helps in warming up your mind.
5. Bedroom Ethics
One of the best productive tricks of falling asleep easily for athletes is achieved by observing certain bedroom ethics.
The most important aspect of bedroom ethics is to choose one of these top rated mattresses that pertain to your biology to prevent backaches, fatal sleep apnea and waking in the middle of the night.
Next, start a habit that you keep solely for bedtime which will help you get ready for sleep.
Another great bedroom ethic is to renovate your bedroom furnishings into dark curtains.
If you have babies, you should also ensure that they sleep well. To do this, get yourself the best rated double stroller in town after thorough analysis.
Finally, ensure that you do not exercise or workout in the bedroom. Keep your bedroom strictly for sleep and sex.
Conclusion
It is a common truth that lack of sleep adversely affects your performance in the waking hours. Often the first routine to be sacrificed by most athletes is sleep. De facto, veteran coaches including the coach of Cristiano Ronaldo advocate that sleep is the most important fitness strategy.
Try these five top sleep tips TODAY for a cozy and mindful sleep!
This is a guest post by Richard Meyer, who is Founder/ Main editor at NerdSleep.Com