#SleeptoPerform Series: Sleep and Athletic Performance

In this fourth video in the #SleeptoPerform series we’ll look at the impact of sleep on athletic performance.

There are 3 main areas in which sleep (or lack of sleep) and can impact athletic performance:

1. Muscular Function
2. Cognitive Function
3. Energy Metabolism

We’ll look at each of these in the video as well as highlighting some interesting research done in conjunction with the Stanford Basketball team looking at how adding sleep changed the player’s 3-point and free throw shooting abilities (very cool stuff!).

Sleep is an area that I address and monitor with all my athlete (and non-athlete) clients. Adequate sleep is a simple performance enhancing drug that you can use while most of your competitors are not using it!  Another issue regarding sleep deprivation with athletes that I don’t address in the video has to do with stimulant use. The more tired athletes get the more they will turn to stimulants to keep them ‘up’ when they play. While I think strategic stimulant use can be used to enhance performance, chronic use that is primarily used to wake you up so that you can perform is a bad idea.

Click Here to View the Other Videos in the #SleeptoPerform Series