How does sleep affect sports training and performance?

All humans are biologically programmed to require sleep, as essential as air, food, and water. The demands of sports training and competition make good, regular, and restful sleep even more important. All humans are biologically programmed to require sleep, as essential as air, food, and water. The demands of sports training and competition make good, regular, and restful sleep even more important. According to a study by Eve Van Cauter, Ph.D., from the University of Chicago Medical School; the physiological effects of sleep deprivation on athletic performance are profound. They include an impairment of the athlete's motor function. The inability of the athlete to control all aspects of muscular movement will result almost invariably in substandard sports performance. Another effect is an impairment of the athlete's visual reaction time. In sports where the athlete must react to an object, such as a hockey goaltender or a cricket batsman, this impairment will mean the difference between success and failure. Sleep deprivation also causes delays in an athlete's auditory reaction, such as the reaction to a starter's pistol or a teammate calling out information during a game. , studied the effects of three different durations of sleep in 11 men ages 18 to 27. For the first three nights of the study, the men slept eight hours per night; for the next six nights, they slept four hours per night; for the last seven nights, they slept 12 hours per night. This study is interesting because it shows that sleep deprivation can negatively impact physiology that is critical for athletic performance -- glucose metabolism and cortisol status. While no one completely understands the complexities of sleep, this (and other research) indicates that sleep deprivation can lead to increased levels of cortisol (a stress hormone), decreased activity of human growth hormone (which is active during tissue repair), and decreased glycogen synthesis. As a general rule, when a person has remained awake for periods of 24 hours, the ability to perform relatively basic mathematic problem solving and memory skills will diminish by over 20%. The physiological effects of sleep deprivation on athletic performance are profound. They include an impairment of the athlete's motor function. The inability of the athlete to control all aspects of muscular movement will result almost invariably in substandard sports performance. Another effect is an impairment of the athlete's visual reaction time. In sports where the athlete must react to an object, such as a hockey goaltender or a cricket batsman, this impairment will mean the difference between success and failure. Sleep deprivation also causes delays in an athlete's auditory reaction, such as the reaction to a starter's pistol or a teammate calling out information during a game. There is general impairment of an athlete's tactical and decision-making capabilities.