Sleep and Winning

According to the Sleep Foundation, the key to winning for athletes is often the quality and amount of sleep they receive. REM sleep in particular provides energy to both the brain and body. If sleep is cut short, the body doesn’t have time to repair memory, consolidate memory, and release critical hormones. “A study in the journal SLEEP confirms the role of sleep in performance with results that show declines in split-second decision making following poor sleep. Results also showed increased accuracy in well-rested subjects.” No surprise, exercise depletes energy, fluids, and breaks down muscle. Plenty of water and quality nutrition for fuel are part of training and recovery. So is adequate quality sleep. Together they help maintain endurance, speed, and accuracy. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/sleep-athletic-performance-and-recovery