Sleep is a critical factor in achieving your health and fitness goals.
As a professional athlete, ensuring I get enough sleep every night is one of the things I can do to better look after my mind and body.
Everyone always talks about doing all the other things such as looking after your diet, managing your training load, getting massages and icing your body after matches but, at the end of the day, if you’re not getting enough sleep it’s going to have adverse affects on your performance.
I’d probably aim to get eight to ten hours per night so I am able to concentrate and function properly.
A lack of sleep will dramatically affect your performance on and off the field; if you are only getting four to six hours a night then it is going to have an effect on you both physically and mentally.
For me, if I’m lacking sleep I start to lose concentration and focus, in terms of a football sense, I find that I lose the ability to go for second efforts on the field and it affects my decision making skills.
Many of the things we do as athletes are 90% in the mind and I think, if your body is tired, the little man in your head will constantly remind you of that and it is going to have an effect on your performance. I always try to make sure I get a good night’s sleep before a game, at least eight hours, this helps me to prepare my mind mentally for the challenge ahead.
One issue we face as AFL players is sleeping after we have played a game, particularly after a night game. After the match we are still usually hyped up and most players would probably find it hard to sleep. Our minds are usually replaying the match over and over after the game; our ability to sleep can also depend on how well you do or don’t play. I often find that if I don’t play well, or if the team doesn’t play well, then I will really struggle to sleep that night.
After a Friday night game we probably don’t get home until 11.30pm-12.00am and your eyes are wide open despite the fact you are physically exhausted. I try to go to sleep as quickly as possible hopefully between midnight and 2am. If I can fall asleep before then and I sleep well, I usually can squeeze in five or six hours, but I have to be up early for recovery training which involves being at the club by 8.30am. It's here, as well as during the week, that my Musashi products are especially important to aid my recovery from the game. I will go into more details about the particular Musashi products that I use throughout the week in another blog.
After playing football for nine years I’ve realised that having a routine is the best way to ensure I get plenty of sleep. My routine is extremely important to me, probably more so then ever at the moment because I have a young son, Taj, who goes to bed early and I have to be up at 7am pretty much every day.
I think sometimes people forget that being healthy is an all round thing. It’s not just about having a healthy body, but a healthy mind too. Having a sleeping routine and getting at least eight hours of sleep per night is crucial for any person who wants to be healthy and get the most out of every day.
-Adam McPhee-
To win a free trip to New York, thanksto club travel partner Luxe Travel,simply click here.
