by Mary McKey
Dreams and Nightmares Sleeping problems in elite athletes and how to fix them
Sleep has been known as the “secret ingredient of injury recovery.” We tend to not think about how much sleep we are getting until we really need it. When we get sick we are always told to rest, but when we get injured no one really emphasizes sleep. They tend to emphasize icing the injury, doing rehab to fix it or even “rest” in the sense of no physical activity, but not necessarily sleeping.
This may be more important for college students as late nights studying and early mornings of class or practice make for a very sleep deprived student-athlete (and this doesn’t address the additional mental health struggles student-athletes may be dealing with). Elite athletes are supposed to get as much sleep as possible, which should can range from seven to ten hours ideally. As a college student-athlete, oftentimes this does not seem plausible. But in reality sleep deprivation can be impact much more than just tired eyes. Some significant effects that a lack of sleep can have on a track and field athlete include: quicker exhaustion, decreased reaction time, inhibited ability and a higher risk for injury or illness. All of these things can contribute to an elite athlete severely underperforming. In track and field, for example, athletes must perform well individually as they do not have a “team” that can pick up the slack. With the exception of relays of course, track is mostly an individual sport. But this applies to all sports; in order to be the best in any sport, sleep is something that needs to be prioritized. Sleeping troubles are common in people and even more common in athletes. Athletes face a lot of factors that can serve as sleep disruptors. These can be frequent travel, terrible schedules, injuries/pain and performance anxiety. Performance anxiety is a very common issue a lot of athletes face.
Junior, finance major and pprinter Olivia Tate said she absolutely gets performance anxiety.
“I typically get six to seven hours of sleep,” she said, noting this isn’t the recommended amount of sleep. “I don’t really have many dreams or nightmares,” which can often be associated with anxiety.
Unfortunately, nightmares and other sleep issues can also be caused by caffeine consumption. Many student-athletes rely on caffeine to get them through the day and through workouts and games. Caffeine can come in many forms that athletes tend to frequent. They can consume certain pops, energy drinks or pre-workouts.
“I typically get six to seven hours of sleep and the only caffeine I consume is pre-workout,” senior exercise science major and hurdler Sean Dixon said. He said that even though pre-workout can cause sleep issues, he doesn’t have consistent dreams or nightmares.
“I do tend to have performance anxiety, however,” he said. If you are wanting to address your sleep hygiene, pay attention to your caffeine consumption. There are many remedies to fixing sleeping issues. The most common would be taking supplements designed to make you sleepy like melatonin or Z-Quill. While these can help, they can sometimes have negative affects on your body. Magnesium supplement are also very beneficial as many athletes are deficient in magnesium as it is, so this can also serve as a benefit to them. Junior biology major and sprinter Delaney Reikert said she takes magnesium every night. She believes that the magnesium does in fact help her sleep.
“I get seven to eight hours of sleep; I drink coffee every day or have a Celsius,” Reikert said.
Freshman exercise science major and hurdler Savanna Meek magnesium also helps for muscle cramps and blood flow, which illustrates another benefit one could get from taking magnesium. Elite athletes need all the sleep they can get. They have to be performing at their best level everyday. But improving sleeping habits does not have to apply only to athletes. Sleeping well can help you with your everyday life. Having a solid sleep schedule can create a routine that is the most beneficial for you.
