By: Heidi Harris, RD-N, CD-N, LD-N
What You’ll Learn: In this blog we will discuss how sleep and athletic performance may be related and how healthy sleep hygiene can help power your peak performance.
Powering Peak Performance Through Sleep
We’ve all likely heard the phrase, “Get a good night’s rest.” This isn’t just an empty platitude, there’s significant meaning behind this saying. Sleep is an overall healthy component of any lifestyle as it helps promote healthy wellness, hormone metabolism and even immune support.1 But, did you know that sleep and athletic performance go hand-in-hand? Physical activity has long been touted for its ability to help promote sleep quality. But, it works both ways, sleep also has been shown to help support athletic performance.2‡
Despite these benefits, research shows that many athletes fail to obtain the recommended amount of sleep which can threaten performance. Obstacles such as training schedules, travel, stress, academic demands and even over-training can affect proper sleep.2 Want to learn how you can help support your healthy sleep hygiene? Keep reading to find our why your inner athlete may want a new bedtime routine to power your peak performance through healthy sleep.‡
Sleep, Recovery & Overall Health
Sleep is an essential component of health and overall well-being.2 Along with sleep being an integral part of any athlete’s rest and recovery, research supports that increased sleep duration and quality of sleep are associated with improved physical performance and competitive success.2‡
Ultimately, sleep allows for your heart rate to slow naturally and encourages the onset of rest for your smooth muscles, allowing time for cellular and tissue repair.3 This is particularly helpful for workouts where you’ve demonstrated a high amount of physical output.‡
Needing a little extra support for muscle relaxation? Magnesium is a mineral involved in various aspects of metabolism, with key roles in muscle contraction and relaxation.4 Our Klean Magnesium provides 120mg of elemental magnesium per serving. In addition to sleep, this is another way add a little extra relaxation into your sleep routine.‡