Sleep – We all need this and sometimes we relish the time when we can get into bed at night or even in the day. The latter will raise a few eyebrows. Yann Le Meur (@YLMSportScience) advocates a 20 mins power nap: have a coffee and then set your alarm for 20 mins ( no more and no less) to help with the immune system and mental freshness. I never used to have a power nap thinking I that it would interfere with my sleep that night. The opposite has happened I feel so much better if I have a power nap especially if I am coaching all evening. Try it and you will surprise yourself.
The other main piece of important news coming out of recent research is with regards to sleep is that we should refrain from using lap tops/ phones late at night as light from the machines interferes with sleep patterns. In fact even try leaving your mobile outside the bedroom for a change. You really do not need to check on the phone in the middle of the night.
These are all quite easy things to do (maybe not the sleep in the day if you are at work) and will definitely help with your recovery and hence your performance. Give it a try and get in touch if you have found any other ways/ research that helps with recovery and getting a good amount of sleep that your body needs both physically and mentally. If you are training for a longer distance race then recovery is very important and this not only includes sleep but also maybe sitting and reading with your feet up.
