SLEEP WELL, SWIM FAST

Jim Miller, MD, National Team Physician and Chair of USA Swimming's Sports Medicine Task Force

Did you know that sleeping is part of training? Sleep is the time that the body needs to incorporate the effects of training to upgrade performance. Sleep is the time that the body uses to repair the effects of training to improve strength, endurance and cardiovascular fitness.

Considering these known responses to sleep, it could be argued that heavier or more intense training times have to take sleep into account to be effective. Without it, the benefits of training may be lost or worse yet, result in breakdown.

So, is breakdown a result of ‘over-training’ or lack of sleep? Makes you think, doesn’t it?

USA Swimming will be featuring a series that addresses sleep as a critical component to achieving successful performance. The upcoming topics will include a lead off with a discussion of how sleep works to maximize your training. This will be followed by tips on how to carry healthy sleep habits with you when you travel. Two unique challenges follow - sleep management when crossing time zones and sleep management during the taper. All of these topics are critical to achieving maximum performances from the years of training that you have invested. Finally, is there a time when medication, prescription or ‘natural’ is warranted? We will look into that topic also.

Without sleep, performance will suffer regardless of technique, training or coaching. Winning requires sleep management, which has to be planned and not left to chance.