When it comes to athletic performance, most of us understand the importance of training, mental preparation as well as nutrition …

But when is the impact of sleep on athletic effort?

According to the National Sleep Foundation (2019), the quality and amount of sleep an athlete receives is often the key to victory .

In addition, some studies claim that poor sleep patterns can increase levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. Sleeping less can increase the possibility of fatigue, low energy, and impair attention during athletic performance. Finally, it is likely that the recovery time is less good. All these factors allow us to realize that sleep plays an essential role in athletic performance, both in its preparation and during its execution.

Getting a good night’s sleep is therefore important to improve performance, but what does that imply?

Better sleep in quantity and quality

In order to have the best sleep habits, it is necessary to understand the importance of the quantity of sleep but also of its quality .

The majority of adults are recommended to get seven to nine hours of sleep per night, however for some people it can range from six hours to ten or eleven hours for others. Being each unique, it’s up to each of us to individually define the optimal amount of sleep each night in order to feel rested.

The quality of sleep is the most important factor. Good quality sleep means falling asleep in about half an hour, only waking up once for less than 20 minutes if necessary. Poor quality of sleep is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep when you wake up, or getting up too early.

How to improve the quality of sleep?

When we take a scientific approach to answer this question, we realize that a hormone plays a major role in our sleep, melatonin , or more commonly called the hormone some sleep. It is known to regulate our body clock and our circadian rhythm. It therefore plays an essential role in improving sports performance.

In order to compensate for a potential deficit in melatonin, the synthesis of which decreases with age, and thus improve the quality of sleep with the aim of subsequently improving its sports performance, it is now possible to turn to Nutraceuticals where you can buy natural (plant) melatonin.

In addition to improving the quality of sleep, melatonin is necessary for healthy immune system function, blood pressure and cortisol levels. Finally, this hormone acts as an antioxidant which gives it, among other things, anti-aging virtues. Some studies show that melatonin may improve eye health as well as decrease symptoms of seasonal depression.

As we have seen, ensuring a good quantity and quality of sleep is bringing many benefits to your body which then ensures a good sports performance . To conclude, below are some tips to improve the quality of your sleep on a daily basis.

Some good habits to take to improve your sleep

• Have a regular sleep pattern
• Do not practice sports after 7 p.m.
• Limit screen use at night
• Eat light in the evening
• Avoid caffeine and theine at night