The importance of sleep in sport

| Sleeping is an act that all living beings perform and that is totally necessary for the proper functioning of our body. Some species sleep more than others, but we must all sleep throughout the day as this gives our body rest after hours in which it has worked both physically and mentally.

There are more and more voices that advocate a correct and adequate rest, not only in terms of hours of sleep, but also its quality. It is not the same for our well-being sleeping eight hours in a row than doing it discontinuously, or in unfavorable environmental conditions such as excess light or noise.

What happens while we sleep

When sleeping, a series of metabolic functions that are essential for our health. For example, metabolic intake is lowered, heart rate is lowered, and body temperature is lowered. At the endocrine level there are a series of substances that see their secretion modulated such as thyroid hormones, cortisol or growth hormone, all of them related in one way or another to the physical activity.

Benefits of doing sports

Anyone who performs physical activity compromises their body, takes it to demanding situations, to a lesser or greater extent depending on the conditions of each person. At this moment in which an effort is requested from the body, it responds, but this response is also accompanied by both physical and mental wear and tear. With the dream neuronal plasticity and neural circuits are increased they regenerate thus allowing an improvement at the cognitive level. For those who believe that this fact in sport has little relevance, comment that this neuronal regeneration is essential for adequate sports performance.

The practice, be of a sport or any physical activity requires a series of technical knowledge certainly and it is that you need hours of training practice and without them it would be difficult to advance. But as studies show, those athletes who sleep adequately and enjoy a workout perform better. When sleeping, what is learned on the court or in the training room is retained, the brain is organized and therefore there is a consolidation of the new information.

As for the physical need to sleep, there is no one who doubts its importance and that when sleeping the tissues are repaired. There is a physical recovery, physiological and metabolic. muscles are one of the elements that most need rest, since when exercising there is a high level of wear and tear at this level. By resting we allow our muscles to be more prepared for the new demands that we are going to put them to the next day.

It should also be noted at a physiological level that a healthy sleep directly intervenes in an adequate response of the, that protects us from possible infections. The practice of physical activity is not always carried out in the best of environments, for example, in cold conditions. If, in addition to suffering the "stakes" of low temperatures, you do not sleep correctly, the possibility of falling ill or not recovering properly increases.

It is important to note that in recent years work groups have been appearing that promote healthy sleep and publish data that should make us reflect. It is just as important to do sports for good health as it is to sleep the recommended hours. The hours of sleep have on many occasions a direct relationship with the risk of suffering from different pathologies. This relationship has a "U-shape" that is nothing more than when you sleep excessively or in the case of a deficit, the risk of diseases such as obesity, or some type of cancer increases. That is why achieving a balance between adequate sleep and sports is essential, so that all the benefits add up to health!

What you should know:

• Those athletes who sleep adequately and enjoy healthy sleep perform better.
• When sleeping, what is learned on the court or in the training room is retained, the brain is organized and therefore there is a consolidation of the new information.
• If the athlete does not sleep well, the possibility of falling ill or not recovering properly increases.