Sleep can help Increase your Fitness Progress

Friday 15th February 2013

New research indicates that lack of sleep is not beneficial for you if you want to progress your personal fitness. It is advised that you go to bed earlier at night as this can help you excel your physical performance and stamina in whatever physical sporting activity you participate in.

Over the course of many years at Stamford University researchers have carried out extensive research amongst athletes to gauge the correlation between increased sleep and sporting performance. Participants in this sleep experiment added a few extra hours of sleep per night which resulted in them feeling less fatigue and bursting with more energy.

In this study it was also identified that increased sleep time amidst athletes reduced the likelihood of injuries. A 68% reduction in injuries occurred amongst those teen athletes who slept for 8 hours. Researchers think this could be as a result of improved motoring skills and reaction times that can be associated with increased sleep. This is because our bodies restore more effectively when in deep stages of sleep as it helps bone, muscles and tissues to renew and build.

A further factor highlighted in this study was the connection identified between greater sleep and mental health. Mental health is known to increase with better sleep, as this contributes towards our moods, behaviour and energy levels should be positive when working out.

From this study it can be concluded that sleep extension can aid and enhance the performance, as this was identified amidst many swimmers and basketball players at Stamford University who encountered impressive personal records, sprint and shooting times.

Tags: sleep study research fitness health

Category: Sleep Research

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