For many people eight hours’ uninterrupted sleep is literally what they dream of. There is never enough time in the day, we are always in a hurry, and we only ever treat ourselves to a long rest before a race or special event. Sleep is absolutely vital and plays a crucial role in our sporting performance.
How long we need to sleep really is a subjective matter that depends on lots of different factors. First and foremost our metabolism, but also the length of time we are used to resting and how long we train for.
But why is sleep so important for training properly? Sleep helps us recover our strength, provides the body with the time it needs to produce the growth hormone required to repair damaged tissue and also helps us to relax our minds, a key factor in concentration. But not everybody has enough time for this physiological activity: we do not sleep long enough and we sleep badly, we feel tired even before we start training and end up collapsing on the sofa after a work-out, creating a vicious cycle of sleepless nights or restless sleep.
If taking a short nap before or after training makes us feel listless and affects our everyday routine, then it is vitally important we sleep properly and, above all, devote the right amount of time to sleep in…
