To be more accurate, the title of this blog should read “Lack of Sleep and Injuries”. We have written many posts on recovery here at NK Fitness. I’m pretty sure every one is going to mention the importance of sleep. However, that is in regard to recovery and performance. What does sleep have to do with getting an injury? Well, it would appear a lot more than you may think.
Injury Likelihood Based On Hours of Sleep
This isn’t a new area of research. In 2014, in journal of paediatric orthopaedics, a study looking at youth athletes and sleep was published. While I appreciate I am cherry picking one paper here, the message still rings true. Don’t believe me? Simply take a quick scroll through “sleep and athletic injury” on Google Scholar.
The results of the study suggest that, athletes getting <8 hours a sleep were 1.7 times more likely to get injured. Simply getting off to bed an hour or two earlier can reduce your chance of injury. In this particular study, the chance of injury decreased even more with 9 hours sleep. Any athlete knows how frustrating injuries can be, so why would you risk it?
Tips For Improving Sleep and Avoiding Injury
If you are researching sleep, you have more than likely come across these recommendations already! That’s because they work!
- Sleep in total darkness (blackout curtains work well)
- Don’t use electronics (such as phones / tablets) 30-60 minutes before bed
- Be consistent with your bedtime, your body likes routine.
- Pretty straight forward one here – Don’t drink caffeine close to bedtime!
Keep it Simple and Reap the Rewards of Sleep
Many of my clients in and around Sunningdale and Ascot are commuters, they often have to train early. As a result, they need to get up early. This means they should be getting to sleep a little bit earlier if they want to stay injury free. As a Leading Personal Trainer in Berkshire, I will always do everything I can to keep my athletes injury free. If that means pushing them to get to sleep earlier, then that is exactly what I will do.