Healthy Recovery Habits for Athletes
Advances in technology, sport science and real-time analysis have accelerated our knowledge of what it takes to win and continues to elevate performance targets and expectations. Without knowledge and structure underpinning any sleep-wake routine (SWR), our ability to adapt and maximise recovery is fast becoming a more serious problem than past generations ever faced.
Sleep Aware
Athletes have to cope with more than the expanding demands of modern sport. Like the rest of us, they face significant changes in personal, social and family lifestyles, increasing levels of stress, anxiety or sleep anxiety and counter recovery habits.
Not surprisingly, over the last two decades we have seen a rapid increase in athletes who observe higher levels of Electronic Insomnia, athletes classified as gamers, social networkers and virtual communicators, creating routines that can’t ‘switch off.’
As a result, we are seeing a rise in the use of stimulants to push through, much higher levels of caffeine, energy drinks, supplements and over-the-counter natural boosters. Over stimulating can cause poor sleep which leads to the use of prescribed drugs and vast array of sleeping tablets.
Serious Solutions
Some athletes may well adopt a more positive approach, applying the latest relaxation and meditation techniques, use sensory as well as behavioural and cognitive interventions in the hope of improving sleep quality. However, when used in isolation or at random, they rarely provide any consistent and sustainable recovery benefits.
My advice is that it’s far from all doom and gloom when it comes to sleep. The first step with any athlete, at any level, is become more sleep aware with the basic principles and be far more aware of their personal sleep characteristics.
KSRIs: Key Sleep Recovery Indicators
These seven, practical and achievable routine changes will aggregate to unlock a greater positive effect.
○ Ensure you have a good understanding of the circadian rhythm, a 24-hour cycle that regulates our biological and physiological functions.
○ Identify your personal Chronotype to prevent adopting routines that are counterproductive to your natural sleep (recovery) characteristics.
○ Think of sleep as 90 minute cycles—not hours—putting you in more control of how many cycles you actually need.
○ Adopt three practical and achievable pre-sleep techniques that can be applied in the final ninety minutes into a targeted sleep time and the first ninety minutes post sleep, promoting a naturally stimulated wake.
○ Plan a recovery break every 90 minutes throughout your day. Longer breaks to fuel up at the usual times and shorter breaks (5 minutes) to promote information download and take on daylight.
○ Not boudoir or bedroom: The main function of this room is maximising mental and physical recovery, so rethink it, starting with its title: my recovery room.
○ Most sleeping products available are actually designed for specific users and sleeping profiles. They however are generally sold as one-product-fits-all. So, research thoroughly before you select a mattress, pillow, duvet and bed linen, because they contribute to most sleeping concerns and if not correctly profiled to you will always be a key barrier to improvement.