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Performance and sleep: Be at the top of your game

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Your “peak performance” level does not have to be an illusive physical state. Diet and exercise are just two of the three pillars of performance. The third pillar is sleep.

Your performance is directly related to your sleep, and not just the amount, but the quality as well. When the Vancouver Canucks first started working with Fatigue Science, they purchased exclusive rights in the NHL to use the most accurate system available to address this issue. After working with Fatigue Science and using the Readiband for two weeks, there were two key findings:

First, you can dramatically improve your performance as a team on the road if you create a plan to manage fatigue. The plan is only valid if it is based on personalized sleep data.  No two players play the same, the same is true of their sleep in relationship to performance.

Secondly, self-reported sleep data is inaccurate. There are dozens of sleep disorders that exist and many people, including professional athletes, don’t even realize they might be suffering from one.

In a video featured in a recent article by TechVibes, Darcy Hordichuk describes the surprising findings of his team mates on the Vancouver Canucks.

The Vancouver Canucks are not the only ones with a gruelling schedule. In an article published today, the LA Galaxy are clearly facing this common and detrimental problem.

The pressure on professional athletes to perform is immense. There are teams of people managing their nutritional needs and their every move in order to maximize training and performance, but most are missing the biggest piece of the puzzle.

5 great benefits of sleep

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We all know we feel better when we sleep, but the benefits of sleep go far beyond a feel-good day at the office. Here are my top 5 reasons to get your 8 hours a night:

5. Get cat-like reflexes – You don’t have to be a professional athlete to enjoy beating your buddies at hockey. Need proof? Ask the Canucks what they think.

4. Find your keys – I’m serious, getting enough sleep can improve your memory. Check out this Scientific American podcast if you don’t believe me.

3. Lose weight – Turns out sleep has a direct impact on your weight.  A recent study shows that “women who slept 5 hours per night were 32% more likely to experience major weight gain (an increase of 33 pounds or more) and 15% more likely to become obese over the course of the 16-year study” .

2. Be better looking –  A story published by Men’s Health takes a look at some interesting effects of sleep apnea.  Turns out the patients who had been diagnosed with the sleep disorder were deemed “more attractive” after treatment.

1. You’ll have more friends – Another insight from Men’s Health makes reference to a study that shows you may be more likely to stereotype others if you are tired.  Specifically, your self-control is affected by a lack of sleep, and it is gets progressively worse.

Even if you think you are getting 8 hours a night, most people greatly underestimate the amount of sleep they are getting.  Many people suffering from sleep-deprivation have no idea why.  Trust your instincts, if you feel tired, grumpy and have a hard time finding your keys, your first steps should be to look to your personal sleep data.  You could be missing out on a better-looking, nicer, more popular you.

Sleep your way to better business

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We often hear of tales of the “Sleepless Elite” who forgo sufficient sleep in order to get ahead. Prominent leaders and business CEO’s such as Marissa Myer, Donald Trump and Condolezza Rice all claim the key to their success has been by getting less than 6 hours of sleep a night. However, the influence of these sleepless elite are having a serious effect on the younger members of our society. A recent post by our CEO, Sean Kerklann, highlighted how unpaid interns are feeling the pressure to work extremely long hours in order to get ahead – in two instances these internships have lead to deaths.

The truth is, lack of sufficient sleep can affect not only your productivity but it can also increase your accident risk and can lead to health conditions such as obesity and diabetes. Here at Fatigue Science we regularly see how fatiguing our 24/7 society is and how it is effecting workplace safety, performance and productivity.

We recently found this infographic from AirMattress.com detailing on why getting enough sleep is the key to getting ahead.

 

infographic_sleep_your_way_to_better_business

 

Forbes: Didn’t get enough sleep? You might as well be drunk

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Our Readiband, used by the Vancouver Canucks and the US Military, has been featured in Forbes Magazine.

Kelly Clay, a contributor to Forbes, spoke with our founder Pat Byrne about the history behind Fatigue Science, the technology, and how Readiband is helping individuals understand their effectiveness scores in real-time.

In the article titled, Didn’t Get Enough Sleep? You Might As Well Be Drunk, Clay says that “Readiband serves to drive actionable, behaviour changing insights around sleep patterns and human performance in a practical and scientifically valid way.”

Why athletes should make sleep a priority in their daily training

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In 2008, Usain Bolt broke records at the Beijing Olympics by being the first person in history to hold both the 100m and 200m world records. By the 2012 Olympics, Bolt became the first man in history to win 6 Olympic gold medals in sprinting.

So what does Bolt consider to be the most important part of his daily training regime? None other than sleep.

“Sleep is extremely important to me – I need to rest and recover in order for the training I do to be absorbed by my body” – Usain Bolt.

At Fatigue Science we know how important sleep is to an athletes performance, reaction time and recovery time. Our fatigue measurement technology is used by professional sports teams such as the Vancouver Canucks to ensure enough sleep is incorporated into athletes training regimes.

So how much sleep do the professionals get? And how can sleep reduction effect your performance.

Key Infographic Takeaways

  • By incorporating adequate sleep into their routine, tennis players get a 42% boost in hitting accuracy
  • Sleep improves split-second decision making ability by 4.3%
  • After 4 days of restricted sleep, athletes maximum bench press drops 20lbs
  • Roger Federer gets 11 to 12 hours sleep per night
  • Lebron James gets 12 hours of sleep per night

 

infographic_sleep-to-be-an-allstar

19 facts you probably didn’t know about sleep

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We all know sleep is important and is essential to be at optimal performance and for our overall health and wellbeing. But did you know sleep is a way more interesting topic than something we should do on a daily basis. Check out the infographic below on 19 interesting facts you probably didn’t know about sleep.

Tweetables & key takeaways

  • The average person spends 649,401 hours sleeping during his/her lifetime – TWEET THIS
  • Somniphobia is the fear of sleep – TWEET THIS
  • 20% of pilots have admitted to making a serious mistake due to sleepiness – TWEET THIS
  • There are 100,000 auto crashes caused by drowsy drivers annually – TWEET THIS
  • If you are snoring you are not dreaming – TWEET THIS
Things you didnt know about sleep infographic

Things you didn’t know about sleep infographic

Interested in learning more about data-driven fatigue management?

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or download our free eBook on the Science of Sleep for industrial workforces