Experts suggest that one of the best ways for athletes to minimize the risk of injury and make the recovery faster, is by getting some quality sleep. This allows your body the much needed time to heal and rejuvenate.
How is sleep related with muscle recovery?
Research has proven that sleep has the direct capability to promote athletic performance, making players go for that extra mile without putting extreme pressure on their body. This is majorly prominent within teenage athletes. Study shows that teenage athletes getting less than eight hours of sleep are likely to get injured compared to the ones getting ample sleep. There is another study of collegiate tennis players which says that having ten or ten plus hours of sleep every night can improve speed, hitting accuracy, and beyond.
You must wonder, how is sleep such a crucial part in athletic recovery? The owner of Next Level Physio, Jerry Yoo, a physical therapist, explains that “When we sleep, hormones like HGH and testosterone (in males AND females) are secreted by the pituitary gland to promote muscle recovery. When our sleep is interrupted, especially non-REM sleep, we shunt the optimized benefit from sleep.”
Chanha Hwang, owner of Fatherly Health and Wellness, adds that “Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and prolactin are released while sleeping. HGH hormone aids in muscle recovery by building and repairing damaged tissues in the body and prolactin helps to regulate inflammation in the body.”-sourced from Mattress Clarity.
Therefore, these essential hormones activate tissue regeneration within the body. Moreover, sleep reduces the amount of oxygen the body requires to function at the apex level, which is a blessing for athletes who are striving to catch a breath. Good sleep allows the body to digest food faster and better, with less amount of energy. This suggest that the saved energy is utilized to build proteins and transfer the much required fatty acids for recovering muscle.
What is the connection between quality sleep and injury prevention?
Well, there are more than just one way how quality sleep helps prevent athletic injury. It’s a no brainer, that when you get a good amount of sleep, your body gets more time to generate important hormones, which repair and strengthens your muscles, tendons, and ligaments after an exhausted training session. This is how sleep acts as one of the best ways to get rid of wear and tear.
It goes without saying, that sleep has a very positive effect on our minds. Sleep helps stimulating response times, which is crucial for athletes in action, and makes sure that they’re out of the hurt zone. Proper reaction time is the other essential safeguard to protect oneself from injuries on the field.
We can safely draw the conclusion, that sleep improves our immune system, whether or not you’re an athlete. Of course, for the sportsperson, it acts as a cure by making them less likable to fall sick when exposed to virus and germs.
Fitness trainer Caitlin Sacasas notes that sleep deprivation “can also cause our body to be in a more stressed and inflamed state, also increasing the risk of injury and reducing our muscle recovery potential.” Therefore, for athletes, it becomes imperative to get quality sleep which makes certain that their immunity is getting better to promote faster recovery from everyday injury and muscle sprains.
Mattress plays a huge role in a sportsperson’s life. It acts just like a safeguard to protect muscle and impart proper spine alignment. Of course, not all mattress offers the same benefits. If you’re looking for a mattress that can practically induce sleep and work towards the betterment of your muscle and bones, you should consider Morning Owl natural latex mattress, which is equipped with factors that help you get a sound sleep and proper rest.
