Sleep

 

Sleep, along with nutrition, is the foundation of recovery. While there are many more accessory recovery techniques that can be used to complement sleep and nutrition, if you are not getting enough sleep and the right nutrition, the accessory recovery techniques will have minimal advantage.

Sleep is the most powerful and effective recovery tool for athletes of all types, and your ability to perform and improve in your sport is as dependent on your sleep as it is on any training and hard work you put into your sport. It is when your body repairs and regenerates damaged tissue and muscles from the day’s workout. Sleep is essential for the brain and the body, affecting nearly every cell in the body. Sleep affects recovery, metabolism, hormonal balance, immune system and the rate at which injuries heal. 

Along with sleep duration, sleep quality and sleep phase also affect the regenerative qualities of sleep. It enables an athlete’s readiness for additional training sessions and lowers their injury risk. When you are rested, your muscles have recovered and you are mentally focused and engaged. With adequate rest, athletes can maintain optimal energy levels during the day and retain focus, clarity, and critical thinking in the most taxing scenarios. 

At DD Triathlon Coaching, we work with our athletes to help build better sleep habits and routines. We optimise your training so that sleep quality is maximised (time to fall asleep is less and waking periods fewer). For example, low-intensity evening exercise affected sleep less than high-intensity morning sessions, which caused moderate hormonal and sleep disturbance. Meanwhile, high-intensity evening training had the biggest effect on sleep quality.