Sleep Disorders: Sleep Better, Perform Better at Sports

In a recent article I read online at ScienceDaily.com, I learned about a new study showing that "athletes who get an extra amount of sleep are more likely to improve their performance in a game."

I have to say, the anecdotal evidence was already there, but I was curious to read if the researchers found an actual connection between extra sleep and an athlete's performance that didn't necessarily have to do with mood or so-called perceived rate of exertion. You see, there's been little research to link the relationship between extra sleep and athletic performance. But we all know from experience that it seems more difficult to exercise, for example, after a bad night's sleep than after a great one. But it could be all in the mind. The muscles that move in physical activity may not need a full night's sleep to operate just as well.

The Stanford men's basketball team was the guinea pig here. Scientists compared their performance after letting them sleep their normal patterns for two weeks and then allowing them to sleep as much as they wanted for another extended period. What they found is that the men had faster sprint times and increased free-throws when they got as much sleep as possible. They also reported better moods (no surprise there) and more energy (again, no surprise).

The study doesn't really bring to light anything we don't already know. When we're tired and cranky, we don't want to exert all that much energy in physical activity. The jury is still out on whether that's a factor of just "mental fatigue" as in mood and irritability, or whether there's an actual explanation for decreased performance in the body irrespective of how we think we feel.

I know one thing for sure - as an avid basketball fan, I hope my favorite teams heed this advice: get your Zs!

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