The Importance of Proper Sleep in Athletic Performance and an Innovative Solution for a Good Night’s Rest
Athletes, whether professional or amateur, usually pay increased attention to their training routine as well as their diet. They are aware of the importance of the gradual increase in the workload they subject their bodies to. They, therefore, provide their bodies with sufficient quantities of vital nutrients.
However, there is a third ingredient as well. Proper sleep for athletic performance is very vital. Without it muscle development and stamina increase would be difficult and close to impossible.
Exercise increases muscle strength by breaking down the muscle tissue first. The athlete’s diet provides the fuel that the muscles use to recover from the stress they went through during the training. However, the body only properly uses the energy that comes from food during rest; sleep.
Sleep deprivation, therefore, results in fatigue, poor concentration and low energy levels. These issues only get worse when you make your body work hard during training, increasing the risk of injuries.
Why Do Athletes Have Sleeping Problems?
Exercise is exhausting for the body. Therefore, everyone expects athletes to fall asleep quickly and deeply. However, many professional athletes suffer from sleeping difficulties. This is either when trying to fall asleep or when it comes to staying asleep.
According to a recent study conducted in Finland, the rate of chronic sleep disorders is much higher among professional athletes than among amateurs. It is also higher than among people who work out only occasionally. These chronic disorders include difficulty falling or staying asleep, snoring, sleep apnea and other breathing issues during sleep.
One of the causes behind the phenomenon is increased body temperature. Training puts pressure on the body and releases adrenaline, which results in higher body temperature. If the effort is extreme and sustained over long periods of time, the temperature of the body stays higher. This is true not only during the training, but afterwards as well.
High body temperatures interfere with sleep patterns. Normally, the body’s circadian rhythm – the succession of periods of sleepiness and alertness regulated by the brain – starts reducing body temperature in the late afternoon. This is to make the body sufficiently cool for being able to fall asleep.
If the cooling process is imperfect, the body does not cool down sufficiently to prepare for sleep. This results in poor sleep or the inability to sleep.
Cooling Down: Proper Sleep For Athletic Performance
High body temperature is one of the principle causes behind the athletes’ sleeping disorders. The solution, therefore, straightforward. Decreased ambient temperatures will lower the temperature of the body. This will, in turn, result in better, deeper and more refreshing sleep. It is also something that most of us have experienced; we sleep better in colder environments.
Various methods have been invented to achieve the ideal temperature of the body before the time comes to turn in. One of the most common methods is cryotherapy. Also known as cold therapy, this is process of lowering body temperature with the application of ice packs or even complete immersion in an ice bath.
The treatment method is efficient not only in improving sleep patterns, but also in enhancing the body’s abilities to recover after intensive workout. Cold therapy relieves sprains, muscle pain, swelling and other forms of tissue damage. In so doing it improves strength and any kind of athletic performance as well.
An Innovative Way to Use Cryotherapy Right Where It Is Needed: the Perfect Sleep Pad
Perfect Sleep Pad is a mattress topper that employs a special, patented technology to improve sleep. When inserted between the sheet and the bed and turned on, it will maintain the user’s body temperature throughout the night. This it does by absorbing the heat of the body and dissipating it into the water not the bed.
The innovative water tubes used inside the Perfect Sleep Pad make it more than just a cooling mattress cover. The control unit can be switched to heating mode as well. It is used as a heating mattress pad to maintain the warmth of the body if the room is too cold. The same applies if the user prefers a warmer bed.
To sum it all up, the Perfect Sleep Pad is an innovative and extraordinary cooling mattress pad that has a heating function as well. It is a mattress insert that is appreciated by doctors and athletes. It has already saved many from fatigue, discomfort and the risk of developing serious illnesses by giving them the good night’s rest they need.
If you would like to find out more about the Perfect Sleep Pad visit us at www.perfectsleeppad.com
Leave a Comment