Sleep & Athletic Performance: Why Every Athlete Needs a Bedtime Routine

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Let me sleep on it?”. There’s science behind this phrase too, I promise. When you sleep, you allow your brain to retain and consolidate memories. This is particularly important because as an athlete, you are constantly learning new skills, remembering new plays, memorizing new muscle movement.5 During sleep, these new skills and memories are better retained and maintained.5

Sleep & Athletic Performance

We all know how good it feels to get a good night’s sleep. In addition to this feeling of replenishment and rest, we now know that both quality and quantity of sleep help athletes improve their peak performance.2 For example, a study that measured both male and female swimmers found that those who slept for ten consecutive hours or more had faster reaction times off the starting diving blocks. Not to mention, their turn times, kick strokes and sprints were also found to be improved with longer durations of sleep.6 See? Extra snoozing time may lead to more than just a positive mood and less sleepiness during the day!‡

On the flip side, inadequate sleep has also been linked to declines in performance. You may already be aware of the effects from lack of sleep. For me, I tend to have low motivation, feel sluggish and can become a grouch if I’m running on less than 8 hours of sleep. Did you know that lack of sleep can lead to irritability, drowsiness, inability to focus or pay attention and the overall feeling of being physically exhausted?7 This is just another way that inadequate sleep and athletic performance may contribute to hindering an athlete’s peak performance.‡

A study found that male sprinters who didn’t receive adequate sleep on average had a decreased total sprint time.8 Another study found that both male and female tennis players had decreased accuracy with inadequate sleep.9 Now, imagine you’re a quarterback on a football team — inaccuracy just isn’t going to fly.‡

Another study looked at a younger population, middle and high school athletes. This study found that a lack of adequate sleep impacted their risk for injuries.10 If that was found in a younger population, you may wonder what that may mean for the older athletic individual… Instead of pondering that, I’d suggest turning down the lights and hopping into bed for a good night’s sleep.‡

So, How Much Sleep Do You Need?

That’s a great question! The answer isn’t so easy. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the average non-active adult requires between seven to nine hours of sleep for optimal performance and health. It also notes that adolescents generally require more sleep, closer towards eight and ten hours.11 However, for those who are more active, it’s been suggested that these more athletic individuals may require closer towards nine to ten hours of sleep each night. This allows for adequate recovery and adaption between bouts of exercise.11

Now, let’s go back to recovery. We talked a lot about how when you sleep, you allow your body the time and ability to recover. The hormone melatonin is a key player in helping you fall asleep.12 Research indicates that supplemental melatonin can decrease the time needed to fall asleep and support overall sleep quality. Just two sprays of our Klean Melatonin provides 3 mg of melatonin, a dose that is commonly used in clinical studies. The convenience of this travel-sized bottle means you can take it with you on-the-go!‡