Rest & Sleep

ESSENTIALS

Fluid Intake

Flexibility

NUTRITION
Introduction

Carbohydrates
Fats
Proteins

Vitamins & Minerals

LIFESTYLE
Rest & Sleep

Smoking

COMPETITION
Goal Setting

Race Day
Warm Up

Sleep is vitally important to the performance of athletes in competition and during training. Too little sleep does not allow the body to recover from the days physical and mental stresses. However it has been found that too much sleep can also have negative effects on athletic performance. This due to homeostatic imbalances created by oversleeping. Obviously too little sleep is worse than too much sleep but having long periods of sleep (more than 10 hours) on regular occasions (more than twice a week) should be avoided. The body requires approximately eight to nine hours sleep during the teen years, and as little as seven hours in early adulthood. However because swimmers participate in vigorous exercise on regular occasions, slightly more sleep may be required, perhaps an extra hour. It is advised that each night you should get eight to nine hours of sleep. This should allow the body to recover from the days stresses.

The amount of sleep that you get effects how well you can train and perform in competition. Pre-competition it is vital that you get the correct amount of sleep for at least the four days prior to competition so that the body can perform at it most efficient. Too little sleep causes, as well as other effects, an increase in resting heart rate, which results in more energy being used at rest. This means that there is less energy available for exercise. Too much sleep has the effect of making the heart and basal metabolic rate to decrease. This results in too little energy being available for exercise. Both these effects will decrease the likelihood of a good performance in competition as well as during training.