What has competitive sports to do with sleep?
Healthy sleep is the most important criteria for a life full of well-being, health, efficiency, creativity and success. It protects from diseases –- mentally as well as physically –- is beneficial for body, mind and soul. A healthy way of living demands for healthy sleep! Of course, this applies for everyone, even more for those who excessively demand their physics: competitive athletes.
More sleep improves athletic performance. Admitted, at first sight this statement seems contradictory. But meanwhile, sleep scientists prove that sportsmen even need more sleep than people who are not doing any sports. In contrast to a widespread belief, sleeping is a state of high activity: in our brain numerous processes are taking place. For competitive athletes, all phases of sleep are important: during deep sleep, most growth hormones are released. And they are responsible for the improvement of muscle power and bone density. But, not only physical processes are happening, mental processes, too. Saving of new movement patterns, for example, is happening during REM-sleep.
Especially for those who are very active during waking state, a regulated sleeping rhythm with sufficient sleeping time and best sleeping quality for regeneration and recovery is very important. A changing of the sleeping rhythm of only one or two hours has a huge impact on performance -– and especially athletes will quickly notice this. According to sleep scientist Cheri Mah, more sleep has a positive effect on performance and responsiveness as well as on the mood of athletes. In long lasting tests and studies, she explored the effects of too less, sufficient or inordinate sleep on athletes. Astonishingly, the performance of athletes tremendously improved the more they slept. The effect can further be increased by a 15 minutes lasting powernap at lunch time. Like this, the brain gets more time and space for saving learned things.
But, not only the sleeping time is important, rather the quality of sleep is decisive. A perfect mix of these two leads to a sleep efficiency as high as possible -– and this in turn enhances the results of athletes again. Especially the positive effects of bioenergetic sleep® not only lead to an increased performance but also to an overall improvement of health and well-being. Thus, not only a balanced diet is important but a healthy sleeping behavior, too!
Of course, in the life of an athlete there are numerous factors that have an influence on the sleeping behavior and thereby negatively influence and limit his or her performance ability. A huge disturbing factor for many athletes is the fact, that trainings and competitions often take place in the evening. Physical activity in the late hours of the day may negatively influence the sleeping rhythm because this often makes falling asleep difficult. From the expert’s point of view, the afternoon is the perfect time for doing sports. A further problem is performance pressure and the stress involved which often may be a trigger for bad sleep as well.
Out of these reasons, for athletes it is even more important to care for sleep biological perfect preconditions. Here, the basic foundation for healthy sleep, the sleep-healthy-trio, is becoming important. Especially the grounding- and bio-magnet-overlay is essential for athletes, of course a nature-like sleeping system and good darkening as well.
Only when you are sleeping healthy and restful you will be able to achieve maximum performance and to be successful!
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