Sleep Extension - why it matters
The Effect of Sleep Extension on Athletic Performance
Cheri Mah is a sleep researcher at Stanford. Before Matthew Walker and "Why We Sleep" there was Cheri and her counsel. It all comes down to more sleep is ultra important.
Her new work is about even more sleep. Think opposite of the effects of sleep deprivation or chronically under rested and its negative effects of performance and health, NOW think what would happen if you get more than 8 hours of sleep...sleep extension.
You guessed it, athletes who slept 9+ hours were better than their "normal 8 hours per night" selves.
Full article above ^
Synpopsis below
Participants:
Eleven healthy students on the Stanford University men's varsity basketball team (mean age 19.4 ± 1.4 years).
Interventions:
Subjects maintained their habitual sleep-wake schedule for a 2–4 week baseline followed by a 5–7 week sleep extension period. Subjects obtained as much nocturnal sleep as possible during sleep extension with a minimum goal of 10 h in bed each night. Measures of athletic performance specific to basketball were recorded after every practice including a timed sprint and shooting accuracy. Reaction time, levels of daytime sleepiness, and mood were monitored via the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Profile of Mood States (POMS), respectively.
Results:
Total objective nightly sleep time increased during sleep extension compared to baseline by 110.9 ± 79.7 min (P < 0.001). Subjects demonstrated a faster timed sprint following sleep extension (16.2 ± 0.61 sec at baseline vs. 15.5 ± 0.54 sec at end of sleep extension, P < 0.001). Shooting accuracy improved, with free throw percentage increasing by 9% and 3-point field goal percentage increasing by 9.2% (P < 0.001). Mean PVT reaction time and Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores decreased following sleep extension (P < 0.01). POMS scores improved with increased vigor and decreased fatigue subscales (P < 0.001). Subjects also reported improved overall ratings of physical and mental well-being during practices and games.
Conclusions:
Improvements in specific measures of basketball performance after sleep extension indicate that optimal sleep is likely beneficial in reaching peak athletic performance.
