Written By: Tavishi Dogra | Updated : December 7, 2024 4:54 PM IST
Medically Verified By: Dr Sibasish Dey, Head of Medical Affairs, South Asia, ResMed
Even if one gets the required hours of sleep, it does not prevent the ill consequences if it is interrupted due to frequent waking up or issues like sleep apnea.
Quality sleep is a prescribed pathway to improving athletic performance and building stamina. One cannot emphasise enough that when it comes to sleep, quality aces quantity and experts assess quality through the restfulness obtained. This means that quality sleep would ensure no daytime drowsiness or irritability due to feeling sleepy and tired. Moreover, the sleep survey conducted by ResMed in 2024 further establishes the link between sleep and productivity, which states that 49% of those interviewed reported increased productivity after getting adequate sleep. Therefore, as is evident, getting good quality sleep is an absolute must if a sportsperson wishes to perform to the best of their ability and maintain good health.
Here is an analysis of why the right kind of sleep matters for performance.
Sound cognitive health is a requirement for adequate performance. Quality sleep helps players remain alert on the field and make split-second decisions that might determine the course of the game. The inability to get sufficient rest is associated with anxiety and OCD. Therefore, the importance of quality sleep goes beyond performance and can impact one's quality of life.
The effects of sleep deprivation discussed above are enough to sound alarm bells for athletes and anyone else. However, a central question of this analysis remains unanswered: What is more important, sleep quality or quantity? As indicated above, experts are evident on this - even if one gets the required hours of sleep, it does not prevent the ill consequences if it is interrupted due to frequent waking up or issues like sleep apnea.
