Everyone knows to perform at your best you need to be fuelling your body with the best foods and keeping yourself hydrated. What many people don’t realise is that sleep plays an equally important role in optimising performance and body function.
A lot happens while we’re sleeping. At night we cycle through different sleep stages, usually from light sleep to deep sleep, back to light and then into REM although everyone’s sleep cycles naturally vary.
REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement) typically occurs later at night as is important for your memory and mood. Light sleep is essential, it promotes mental and physical restoration. It is no surprise we spend a big chunk of our night in this stage. Deep sleep is responsible for physical recovery and aspects of memory and learning. People usually awaken feeling extra refreshed after a solid night of deep sleep.
The quality and duration of sleep is crucial for optimal performance. A short or restless sleep means that our body is unable to correctly cycle through the sleep stages. This can mean it doesn’t have time to repair, consolidate memory and release hormones. Continued poor sleep or sleep deprivation has been found to impact the way we store energy for exercise. Sleep deprivation has a detrimental effect on our in the moment decision making, our mood and concentration.
Getting the right amount of sleep is the secret ingredient in continually putting your best foot forward in all aspects of your life.