As sports scientists continue to look for ways to improve athletic performances and give athletes any possible edge, they are learning more and more about the importance of sleep.
So it actually be accurate to say, “Go to bed, you’ll be better tomorrow.”
According to WebMD, a study tracked the Stanford University basketball team over a period of several months. The results showed that players who increased the amount of sleep they got by an average of two hours, increased their speed by 5%, and free throws by 9%. The players said they had faster reflexes and felt happier. Other studies, says WebMD, have shown similar benefits for football players and other athletes.
Fatigue Science offers some additional evidence that sleep improves performance.
- By incorporating adequate sleep into their routine, tennis players get a 42% boost in hitting accuracy.
- Sleep improves split-second decision-making ability by 4.3%.
- After four days of restricted sleep, athletes maximum bench press drops 20 pounds.
- Roger Federer gets 11 to 12 hours sleep per night.
- Lebron James gets 12 hours of sleep per night.
Not to mention, the more rested your team is, the less likely they’ll injure themselves on a routine play in practice. But how do you translate this information into something your team can use? The first step is getting information on how much sleep your athletes are getting. Then you can see how they are effected by more sleep or less sleep.
That’s where DRIVN’s trackers come in. Athlete’s simply record the amount of sleep they get – as well as how fatigued they are, how they feel, etc. – into the app and you are on your way to understanding where there is room for improvement.
What you may find out is that you might have a student-athlete who is staying up late at night to study. Is there a better time of day for them to do that? Can you help them find a gap in their schedule for studying?
Enter, DRIVN’s calendar. Coaches and sports medicine staff can see a player’s schedule and help them manage their time better, which may in turn allow for more sleep.
Take a look at all the features DRIVN offers and start a free trial.