Athletics and Activities

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Coed Cross Country

 

The Importance of Sleep for Athletic Performance
By: Nicholas Sita, PhD, MPT, MSOT, CSCS, CES, CMT
http://topspeedschool.com/uploads/TopSpeed-Sleep.pdf

There are five stages of sleep. Stage one (alpha), two through four (delta), and Rapid Eye Movement (REM - beta). It takes approximately 90 minutes to cycle through the stages, and you normally cycle through them multiple times each night. During stages one through four, the immune system begins to go to work, human growth hormone is secreted, antioxidants work to repair DNA damaged by free radicals, testosterone is secreted, protein synthesis occurs, healing takes place, and growth occurs. During REM dreams occur, mood & emotions are stabilized, memories are catalogued and stored, neurological learning connections are made, and creativity is stimulated. As a result, sleep helps recover from exercise, with weight loss, improve alertness, give your memory a boost, give you a stronger immune system, improve physical appearance, maintain heart health, decrease the chance of diabetes, improve brain power, increase coordination, improve mood, heighten creativity, and increase your lifespan.

 

During exercise, sport practice, and athletic competition; muscle and connective tissue is stretched, and torn. Ligaments, cartilage, and bone withstand incredible trauma and torsion force up to eight times body weight. The anaerobic and aerobic energy systems are called upon to supply a consistent source of fuel to the brain, muscles, and organs. The cardiopulmonary system works at a deficit to provide a ready source of oxygen laden blood to prevent ischemia (death though oxygen starvation). The neuromuscular, central, and peripheral nervous systems are required to interpret, adapt to, and react to minute, sometime novel internal and external data & stimuli within milliseconds. The end result of all of this tremendous stress and strain on each and every bodily system is tissue damage and catabolism (tissue breakdown). The act of repairing and rebuilding this damaged tissue (anabolism) takes place primarily during sleep. Although catabolism occurs in everyone as a result of life and performance of daily activities, in athletes these processes are accelerated multifold.

 

Everyone needs 7 to 10 hours sleep. Children (ages 1-10) require at least 10 hours, adolescents (ages 11- 22) need an average of 9.25 hours, and adults (23+ years) require 8.25 hours of sleep, on average, each night. Athletes in each age group have been shown to have a greater need for sleep than the non-athletes. Only fifteen percent of American adolescents report getting 8 or more hours of sleep. Therefore, 85% of American adolescents are operating at a sleep deficit. For anyone, a sleep deficit is defined as the sum of all night in which you sleep less than your sleep needs (< 8-10 hrs). The average American adolescent is operating at about a 25 hour deficit. At a 19 hour sleep deficit, athletes perform on cognitive and coordination tests, worst than someone with a .08 blood alcohol level. In the United States, a .08 blood alcohol level is considered legally drunk in 42 states. A .08 blood alcohol level is legally drunk in every country in Europe. In clinical trials, no one has ever been able to stay awake at greater than a fifty hour sleep deficit.

 

The most reliable indicator of mortality and performance in school during adolescents is sleep. Most adolescent students who score C's or below report less than 8 hours sleep a night. Most automobile fatalities among adolescents are attributed to falling asleep behind the wheel. Some of the reported effects of a sleep deficit are: impaired motor skills, impaired cognition, impaired memory, inhibited creativity, higher stress levels, increased body fat, depressed immune system, anxiety, impeded growth, irritability, depression, mood swings, decreased life expectancy, and difficulty maintaining interpersonal relationships.

 

Participation in athletics places greater-than-average stress on the human body. Athletes have above average requirements for proper sleep, nutrition, strength, flexibility, balance & coordination, and speed. In today's environment, it has become more and more difficult to satisfy these needs. Athletes who wish to perform at or near their potential must outline and follow an organized plan of action to satisfy their physical needs. Throughout history, athletes have concentrated on physical training and improving physical skills. The most successful athletes also follow a plan to satisfy sleep and nutritional needs.

 

By Dr. Nicholas Sita, PhD, MPT, MSOT, CSCS, CES, CMT