Sleep Well, Perform Well: Best Mattress for Athletes

Athletes have a great deal of pressure put on them to deliver the best results and always be at the top of their game. To achieve these goals and many others, athletes train day in and day out, keep a strict diet, and maintain a healthy lifestyle that keeps them in shape. Whether you work out casually, are on a school JV or Varsity team, or have dreams of being the next Olympic gold medalist, you want to perform well and improve upon your athletic prowess. However, becoming a successful athlete depends not only on what is on your plate or how many training cycles you do but also on the quantity and quality of your night's sleep. The importance of sleep for athletes is paramount, and this is what you need to know about its effect on your body and your performance.

How Sleep Affects Athletic Performance

If you think that you can skip a few hours of sleep and still be on your A-game, you would be wrong; lack of sleep affects every person and athletes in particular. The importance of sleep for athletes is well researched, and here are just some of the influences a good night's sleep has:

Better reaction time

We all know what happens when we don’t get enough sleep: our minds seem to be in a dazed-like state and our reactions are slower. This goes double for athletes, for whom mere seconds can make a big difference in outcome to games and races. Research has also shown that in addition to boosting reaction time, a proper sleep schedule can help you increase your intensity and coordination.

Improved health

One of the effects sleep has on our body is improved immunity, which means that when you sleep tight, your body becomes healthier. People who are sleep deprived are more susceptible to injuries, and athletes are a high-risk group for injuries caused by lack of sleep. Why? Because strenuous activity on a daily basis can weaken the body and make it vulnerable. During the night's rest, our body heals itself, and the immune system gets a boost, which helps us to stay healthy. Muscles and tissues repair themselves during sleep, which will only serve to help your performance. Not getting enough sleep, or having a poor night's sleep, makes for a weakened immune system and slower recovery time, and that is why athletes should prioritize a good night's sleep.

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Good mood and high motivation

A lack of sleep can lead to depression and a lack of motivation. To get up every morning and train, athletes must keep their spirits up and feel motivated to push through hardships. When the brain is deprived of sleep, it produces less "happy hormone" (serotonin) receptors, as seen in a study released in 2005. The direct result is a lack of motivation and also a bad mood, which can affect performance on a daily basis. During difficult training sessions, athletes need to sometimes dig deep into their mental fortitude reserves to keep going. A good night's sleep is key.

Longer careers

Adequate sleep can affect athletes not only in the short term but also in long-term. Lack of sleep has a build-up effect, and little by little the damages add up and hurt athletes' careers. A continuous lack of sleep eventually shortens careers, as it impairs day to day performance, so make sure you hit the sack early every night and stay in it till dawn.

How Much Sleep Does an Athlete Need?

Now that we have established the importance of sleep for athletes, it is time to find out what is considered adequate sleep. The average person needs 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Athletes in training, however, need an extra hour every night because of the strain their body goes through. Children and adolescents who practice sports on a daily basis need approximately 10 hours of sleep a night to allow their bodies to rest and recover after training.

How Can Athletes Improve Their Sleep?

To get a good night's sleep, athletes may need to make a few lifestyle adjustments and invest in some quality sleep gear, like specific mattresses for athletes. For anyone who has an athletic lifestyle, these are the tips you should follow to get the sleep your body needs for peak performance:

1. Get on a regular schedule

This should be easy enough for athletes who are used to having a daily regimen of exercise. When you start training, make sure to go to sleep at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. Adjusting your sleep patterns may take a while, but your body will get into the grove, and you will get the amount of sleep you need every night. Be consistent!

2. Avoid late night stimuli

Exercise releases endorphins and other hormones that make us feel alert and stimulate our brains. Those who train in the afternoon should try and get on an earlier training schedule. When practicing late, these hormones make you feel alert and get in the way of you falling asleep, so you should start training as early as possible and stop at least three hours before you go to bed. Avoiding blue light output from computers and phone screens can also help athletes fall asleep faster, as can late night parties and watching action-packed shows and movies before bed. Evenings should be a time for winding down.

3. Purchase a mattress for athletes

Athletes' bodies go through a lot during the day, so they need the best support they can get at night. If you're an athlete, you should ensure that you choose an appropriate mattress that will support your sleep and physical recovery. The best mattress for athletes will include features, like: Cooling features – Athletes spend enough time feeling hot and sweaty. When you go to bed, you'll want to sleep cool. Coil and latex mattresses for athletes are better at cooling the body than foam mattresses, which tend to trap heat. Nectar offers a mattress with cooling gel memory foam and a breathable base layer, which could be a good choice of a mattress for athletes.  

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  Lumbar support – Proper spinal alignment and back support will reduce the chance of waking up with back pain, which could otherwise interfere with an athlete's performance. Pick a mattress that has sufficient lumbar and spinal support to avoid pain and keep your body in the healthiest positions. Anti-sagging features are also an important consideration when choosing the best mattress for athletes. Saatva's mattress comes with a Chiropractic Seal of Approval, reporting that they use a special "Spinal Zone" sleep technology to support back health. Comfort – Obviously, any mattress for athletes should be comfortable! The best mattresses for athletes are those that you are comfortable sleeping on, no matter your sleep position.

4. Reduce consumption of alcohol and caffeine

Caffeine and alcohol are two very well-loved beverages that can hinder your sleep quality. Alcohol can make you sleep for too long, and caffeine will cause you to stay up later than you may have intended. It's a good idea for your athletic performance to cut back on these two drinks in general, and avoid them completely for at least several days before a competition. Instead, keep yourself hydrated with water and other healthy beverages. Generally speaking, you should avoid consuming large amounts of alcohol and caffeine, as they will harm your performance in the short and long-term. Being an athlete can be very challenging, but greatly rewarding at the same time. If you have an athletic lifestyle, you need to be aware of the importance of a good night's sleep for your overall athletic performance. Make it a routine to hit the sack for at least 9 hours every night, and, of course, you should also invest in a good mattress for athletes. Using the tips above can help your body heal and rest so you'll be in peak condition on game day.