9781422278727

they push their bodies in games and practices and therefore need more time to recover.

– Fred Beasley, NFL RB “I don’t eat that much the night before the game. But the day of the game, I eat steak and eggs, hash browns, stuff like that.”

Doctors say sleep has a big impact on what happens

to your body. The body uses sleep as a time to repair itself, and when athletes do not get enough sleep, they lose out on this valuable time, which they need much more than the average person. Studies have shown that more is better when it comes to sleep. A study of the Stanford University basketball team, for example, tracked the sleep of players for several months. Over the course of the study, players added an average of almost two hours of sleep a night to their normal amount. The results were clear. Players improved their performance, i.e. increasing their speed by 5 percent. They also

“I load up on carbs, man—a big bowl of oatmeal, with some fruit in it, a baked potato, a couple of pieces of sausage, and

increased free throw percentages by 9 percent. Testing showed that they had faster reflexes, and they reported feeling happier.

a lot of water.” – Willie Anderson, NFL OT

Some people have more trouble going to and staying asleep than others. Here are some tips to help get a good night’s sleep before a game: - Cut out caffeine and alcohol. Both substances have adverse affects on the ability to sleep well.

8