We all know how we feel when we sleep late but wake up early due to some work; dizzy, sluggish, tired and just wanting to throw our phone and its annoying alarm out of the window but usually after a few hours of staying awake everything comes close to normal.
However when racing a machine that burns rubber, in which even the slightest inputs onto the handle can result in a marvelous overtake or a horrible crash one cannot play games with his mental performance. In such a fast-paced sport the effects of poor sleep are tremendously more amplified than on a regular day with no race which is why it is critical to have a good night's sleep.
Effects of Sleep on your body and your racing
Sleep is essential for cognitive function. Lack of sleep leads to decreased concentration, memory lapses, and impaired decision-making. On the racetrack, split-second decisions matter, so those who are well rested have an advantage over those who have not.
It also affects hormone levels, including those related to stress (like cortisol) and recovery (like growth hormone). Proper sleep helps maintain a balanced hormonal environment, crucial for peak performance
and during sleep, the body repairs and rebuilds muscle tissue. Adequate rest allows you to recover from the physical strain of riding, reducing the risk of injuries and improving overall performance.
Clearly after reading this, you will realize that watching Netflix at 2 AM before your race is a first-class ticket to the last place in the race.
So how do I improve sleep?
Improving sleep benefits not just your racing but literally everything you do in life, so here are a few things I do that have helped me improve my sleep quality which is sure to help you in your track performance
Meditation: At the end of the day it helps calm you down and sets up your body to rest and improves sleep quality
Reading: if you have trouble falling after lying on the bed for a while, reading for a few minutes or pages can calm you down and works great in making you sleep
However if you are reading on your phone or other device do turn on night mode, change phone setting to more warmer and reduce brightness as much. Brightness from your phone tricks your eyes and brain into thinking it is still day making deep sleep harder to achieve.
Yoga or Stretching: It helps relax your muscles and body preparing you for deeper sleep by getting rid of tension accumulated in your body.
Keep your room cool: A cooler room helps you get into deeper sleep consistently but don't keep it too cold that it becomes uncomfortable. As a general rule, it should be cooler at night when you go to sleep than at day, the exact coolness needed for great sleep varies between people so try around different temperatures to find what's best for you.
Simply put, the more you relax before bed, the better you sleep which is why eating your dinner a few hours before bed on the night before the race is a better choice since heavy food close to bedtime can prevent quality sleep.
Have a consistent sleep schedule: Having fluctuating sleep and wake up times for many days continuously will ruin your circadian rhythm and sleep and one perfect sleep before the race cannot overcome weeks of poor sleep. Set consistent and daily sleep schedules which is to be followed for at least more than a week before the race. set aside 7-9 hours for sleep and you will see a tremendous improvement in your performance and greater mental sharpness on the track!
I'll see you guys next Monday, and please tell us which topic you'd like to see us cover next or any racing queries you have:)
Faster. Better. Safer.
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