NUTRITION Sleep to win
The right amount of sleep is as important as proper nutrition in preparing for success on the volleyball court, and what you eat can impact how well you sleep
By Shawn Hueglin
cally. You probably already know this, but you may be one of the many people who thinks, “I do fi ne without a lot of sleep.” Here’s my challenge to you: Pay attention to how you feel when you don’t get enough sleep, then string together a few nights of full, uninterrupted sleep and see how you feel. My guess is that you’ll notice a difference.
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HOW MUCH SLEEP IS THE RIGHT AMOUNT?
It varies from person to person, but here’s a good guideline: seven to nine hours for adults, nine to 10 hours for adolescents. Determining what’s right for you is simple enough. If you get seven hours of sleep and don’t feel rested, try eight.
If you feel good after eight hours of good quality sleep, that’s probably an indicator that you’ve gotten the right amount of sleep. However, keep in mind, sleep is like a bank account. One deposit (or good night’s sleep) may not be enough to increase the balance signifi cantly after several nights of poor sleep (quality or quantity). You may need to make several deposits to catch up!
When I hear people say they feel really great on fi ve hours sleep, I think: REALLY? You can certainly function on a shorter night’s
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tudies tell us that a good night’s sleep correlates closely with a higher level of performance, both mentally and physi-
sleep – and many people do – but I would argue that those same people would feel a lot better and be more productive if they slept more.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON’T GET ENOUGH SLEEP? If you’re sleep deprived, your cognitive and physical performance slips and so does your mood. Specifi c to volleyball, sleep-deprived players will likely have slower reaction times, poorer memory and learning capacity, and be more irritated when something doesn’t go well. For instance, a negative comment from a coach or losing a game might garner a more extreme response than when a player is well rested.
Glucose metabolism is a signifi cant factor for athletes. We’ve talked about this in previ- ous articles related to carbohydrates. Glucose is stored in our muscles as glycogen, which is the primary fuel for muscle contraction. When athletes get inadequate sleep, they have lower stores of muscle glycogen; just like not having enough gas in the gas tank.
HOW SLEEP DEPRIVATION INFLUENCES YOUR HORMONES When you don’t get enough sleep, you typi- cally have a decreased production of growth hormone because it is released during quality sleep. Growth hormone plays a signifi cant role
in muscle growth, tissue repair, bone building, fat metabolism and, in general, your ability to recover from training sessions. Keep in the mind, the quality of sleep is just as important as the quantity!
Another hormone that is impacted by sleep is cortisol, a stress hormone. If you’re not get- ting enough sleep, cortisol levels usually rise and can interfere with an athlete’s ability to repair and regenerate tissue.
Those combined factors make it diffi cult for someone to get better at whatever they’re try- ing to get better at – in this case, volleyball.
IMPACT ON YOUR APPETITE Poor sleep habits often lead to an increased appetite because the hormones that infl uence appetite are negatively impacted. The outcome … people crave foods that are higher in calo- ries, saltier and sweeter.
In addition, when people sleep less, they tend to stay up late, which can lead to un- necessary snacking. For many, late night snack choices are not always optimal fueling. Immune function suffers if you’re not sleep- ing enough You’ve probably heard this, but it’s worth stating again: If you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re more prone to injury or illness. This can be particularly problematic when an athlete is traveling and exposed to more germs and unfamiliar bacteria than normal.
PHOTO: PETER BROUILLET
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