Athletes are probably one of the most disciplined, determined, and goal-oriented types of people out there. It goes without saying that they work very hard to achieve what they want to achieve. Sometimes people dismiss it as destiny or that they were born n that way. Little do people know that behind those trophies and medals is a strict diet, heavy workout routines, sacrificed time with family, and a lot of sleep.
As you can imagine, athletes need their sleep maybe even more than the average person. Nobody would be surprised by that. Even Roger Federer, a world-class Swiss professional tennis player sleeps up to 12 hours a day. Sleep isn’t just for rest, it’s a time when the body regenerates cells to replace the old ones. But ultimately, playing a demanding role as that of an athlete, the body commands rest.
Getting some world-class sleep is within your reach. With a game plan and the right mindset, you can finally set your sleeping pattern straight.
Put Your Phone Away
Its common knowledge that using your phone behind disrupts sleeping on time. However, it does more than that to the body. This habit disrupts your body clock, which in return affects your mood, metabolism, appetite, and more. In addition, it suppresses the reproduction of melatonin, making it even harder to feel sleepy. It’ll leave you taking more time to “wake up” in the morning.
These are just among the few consequences of scrolling through your phone during bedtime. Safe to say that the blue light of your phone is a big no-no if you want to sleep early. To fight the compulsion to grab your phone, put it somewhere beyond your reach like across the room or even in the other room.
Keep a Strict Schedule
Maintaining a regular bedtime and wake-up time requires a lot of self-discipline and consistency. Not everybody is a morning person, but it’s what it takes to get a well-regulated body clock and healthy body function. Waking up early can be harder for others especially those who’ve formed a habit of sleeping in. It’s the first few days that are the hardest. But with being consistent and strict about the schedule, you’ll eventually adapt to it. It’s all the more productive knowing how much time you have in your hands to complete tasks and become productive.
Always Eat Dinner at the Same Time
Speaking of following a strict schedule, meals should follow the same suit. This allows your body to have ample time to digest when it needs to right before sleeping. The general rule of thumb is to go to sleep at least three hours after dinner has passed. This allows enough time to digest food, preventing problems like heartburn and even insomnia.
Get a Good Mattress
A good night’s sleep requires the best mattress to sleep on. Many athletes use memory foam ones since it contours the body it’s easy on sore muscles and joints. Choosing one all depends on personal preference, physical condition, comfort, etc., What may be comfortable to others might not be comfortable to some. Choosing a mattress that will suit you is ideal. Your comfortability should be a factor in choosing a mattress since it’s also an investment for long-term use and ultimately for your health.
Avoid Alcohol and Coffee
Although alcohol is known to make one drowsy, it actually doesn’t aid with sleep. It may help induce sleep, but the quality of it is not restorative. The likely scenario is waking up the next morning feeling sluggish and groggy. To add further, alcohol might even suppress breathing, causing sleep apnea or pauses in breathing throughout the night.
It’s a no-brainer not to drink coffee so late in the day as it disrupts sleep. It’s recommended to drink coffee at least six hours before going to bed. You can still get a good night’s rest without giving up coffee. You just have to be mindful of when you’re going to consume it.
Avoid Taking Sleep Medication
Sleep medication can help get a person to sleep, but it does affect the quality of sleep. Natural remedies and solutions will always be more ideal to get the amount of rest you need without sacrifice the quality. Although the appearance of side effects varies from one person to another, here are some side effects of sleeping pills that will encourage you to opt for more natural ways to falls asleep: headache, dizziness, diarrhea, severe allergic reaction, memory problems, and so on.
Athlete or not, adequate and restful sleep is a basic need of the human body. Although we all play different roles, it’s important to listen to what the body needs. Naturally, proper sleep is one of those.
