Get Your Sleep and Peform Better

A common quote from patients the day before a procedure is "Doc, you aren't going to be up late at night are you."  The quote actually has significant insight into the way we function and how sleep is important for personal and professional performance.

Athletes are often hyperboles in performance.  They tend to know their bodies and what makes their bodies perform their best be it a meal, exercise or personal habit. Interestingly, many athletes sleep longer than regular hours.  Lebron James and Roger Federer are said to sleep 12 hours per night.  Many athletes sleep more than 8 hours a night.  

So is there any science to back the merits of sleep?  A 2011 Stanford study showed that basketball players increased their speed by 5% and their free throws were 9% more accurate.  Tennis players are found to be up to 42% more accurate with sleep.  Sleep improves split-second decision making ability by 4.3%.

So if sleep make you more alert, make decision more quickly and improve your stamina, attention and reactivity, seem to be important to your performance, what is a busy surgeon, executive, trainer or other occupation to do.  So although it is not always possible or desirable to get 12 hours of sleep, making sleep a priority is important.  So what are some ways to help your sleep become deeper and longer lasting:

1. Avoid alcohol and caffeine.  I don't drink caffeine at all.  I find drinking caffeine paradoxically inhibits my performance and mental clarity.  Although there are some health benefits to moderate alcohol, I limit alcohol to less than one drink per three months.  

2. Stay on a regular schedule.  Avoiding the weekend sleepin, I always try to go to bed around the same time and wake up at the same time.  If it is a weekend night and I am up late (see 10 pm) I still wake up at my normal time.

3. Work out physically and mentally everyday.  Physical activity is a cue for your body that it needs sleep to repair itself. 

Sleep is an important part of personal performance.  Fortunately, many of the studies have found that the atheltic performance is based on repeated sleepless nights which are much more impactful than one night.  Embracing healthy sleep habits can help build up your sleep reserve and let your mind and body perform at its maximum.

Lebron James getting caught up on his 12 hours of sleep per day.