Everyone knows that sleep is a vital component of their health, and this is especially true for athletes. Your body needs to rest and recuperate after you push it beyond its limits day after day. If you don’t let it do that, you run the risk of over-training. Also, being tired before and during a competition can negatively impact your performance in a multiple of ways.
Here is a list of links full of great information to help you understand sleep, and to improve the quality of it.
Wikipedia’s article on sleep (full of great information, references, and further reading resources).
HelpGuide.org’s TIps for Getting Better Sleep.
University of Maryland’s Medical Center’s Sleep Disorder Center’s Helpful Hints to Help You Sleep.
The National Sleep Foundation’s website.
The Center for Disease Control’s Sleep Hygiene Tips.
I’ve said it many times, it’s the little things that add up to make the biggest differences. Many people overlook their sleep, and they suffer the consequences because of it. Don’t be like them. Understand and improve your sleep, then enjoy the benefits to your athletic performance that will follow.
