The importance of sleep: how to optimize your sleep to get the most out of your training

Getting enough sleep is vital for maintaining overall health and fitness. To truly reach your full potential as a kickboxer or athlete, it is essential that you focus on improving the quality and quantity of your sleep. Sleep plays a crucial role in affecting your performance, alongside other important factors such as training, diet, and rest, which we will delve into in greater detail in another upcoming article. Prioritizing sleep will significantly contribute to your success in the sport.

Why is sleep so important?

Exercise puts significant stress on our bodies, particularly in contact sports like kickboxing, which can lead to an increase in stress hormones. This heightened level of stress triggers the need for our bodies to adapt accordingly: engaging in resistance training by lifting heavier weights effectively builds stronger muscles as essential nutrients flow to them, while practicing kicks not only enhances physical conditioning but also improves our nervous system’s efficiency in performance of the movement. To successfully make these important adaptations, it is essential to prioritize rest and recovery properly between training sessions, with sleep being a key and critical component of this recovery process.

How much sleep do I need?

For elite athletes it is recommended that they get a least nine hours of sleep a night and that they treat sleep with as much seriousness as training and diet. If you are more of a casual athlete then you probably do not need this much sleep and the recommendation for the general public is seven to eight hours a night. If you do not hit these numbers it is most likely that you will see negative effects on your progression. So if you are training five to six times a week and dieting correctly but not seeing yourself get better you might want to look at your sleep and see if you can make any improvements in that area of your training life. 

Other benefits of getting enough sleep

Improved reflexes and decision making- 

Lack of sleep is directly correlated to decline in cognitive ability and the ability to make quick decisions and adapt to situations which in a sport such as kickboxing is essential! So sleep more, get hit less, good for your brain on two fronts. 

Improved mental state-

There is a direct link between mental health and sleep. If you do not get enough sleep your mental health can suffer. It is so important to keep a positively realistic outlook on your training journey, you will be able to meet new challenges with a positive attitude which will make them easier to overcome. Sleep well so you can train well. 

Tips for helping you get better sleep

Have a sleep routine- 

Read a light book, stretch, meditate, take a shower, hang out with your kids; there is no correct answer for anyone, try to find what works for you. 

Create a relaxing environment-

Try to create a relaxing environment, somewhere where you know it is safe to switch off. Reduce noise and distractions before bed so you can fully relax. 

Avoid caffeine, alcohol and screens before bed-

All of these things have been shown to disrupt sleep. Alcohol should be avoided as an athlete, caffeine should be avoided after 2pm and screen time should stop a couple of hours before you sleep. 

Reduce stress 

I know this is easier said than done but stress, unsurprisingly, can affect sleep. Stress will also affect overall recovery so it is important to come up with strategies and have a good support network for when life's stresses do crop up.