Many of the world’s greats across all sporting areas, eat, sleep, live and breathe for their sport. But in addition to physical conditioning and conscious eating, sleep plays a major role in athletic performance and success.The quality, and the amount of sleep an athlete gets is often the key to them winning. REM sleep ( Rapid Eye Movement Sleep) in particular provides energy to both the brain and the body. If sleep is cut short, it doesn’t give the body enough time to repair memory, consolidate memory, and release hormones.
Women’s tennis legend, Serena Williams , told a UK publication that she usually sleeps well and enjoys going to bed early at around 7pm. It was also stated that in 2012 American Baseball team the Boston Red Sox installed a sleep room at Fenway Park, where players could take a nap between training sessions. In the same year, NFL giants the New York Jets, sought assistance from sleep specialists on introducing sleep into their training strategy. And in 2014 Premier League rich boys Manchester City unveiled a new £200 million training base, complete with king-sized beds, luxury pillows, and en – suite bathrooms and the sleep inducing décor designed specifically by sleep specialists.
On his way to winning 18 Olympic Gold medals, US swimmer, Michael Phelps, slept in a chamber that simulated an altitude of 8,500 to 9,000 feet. The reason for this was that the decrease in oxygen at such a high altitude forced his body to work a lot harder to produce red blood cells that carry the oxygen to his body. As well as this these chambers help his endurance, and this all occurs whilst he’s asleep.
In less extreme circumstances, Britain’s Andy Murray considers sleep to be an influential factor of his success. 2013 saw Murray become the first Brit to take the Wimbledon title in 77 years. During an interview Andy said “ On the day’s that I’m not playing, I try to get in and do my work early…then get home and have a nap. You need rest to ensure you recover properly. If I don’t sleep 11-12 hours a day, it’s not right.” Andy is currently competing in the Davis Cup, where he has helped Great Britain set up a Semi-Final with Australia.
Similarly, Usain Bolt, the first man to win six Olympic gold medals in sprinting, said “ I need to rest and recover in order for the training I do to be absorbed by my body. Usain has been out of action for a while having only ran 5 times this season, but is set to return at the London 2012 Anniversary Games. So a lot of rest will be needed for Usain to balance out with the training that he will be doing for this comeback event.
‘Bolt doing his signature pose’
