To Sleep, Perchance to Start - Part 2

Pure Sport

In my last post, I talked about the importance of sleep. Now, let's see if you're getting enough sleep.

You are likely getting enough sleep to help you play better basketball if you can answer NO to all of the following questions:

1) Does your mom or dad have to wake you up in the morning?

2) Do you usually need an alarm clock to wake you?

3) Once you wake up, do you still feel tired during the morning?

4) Do you feel slow throughout the day?

5) Do you often take naps during the day?

6) Do you need to drink soda, caffeine to wake up or stay up?

7) Do you sleep in late during the weekends?

If you answered NO to all of these questions, then congratulations! You're one of the lucky few who are probably getting enough sleep. No need to read on. Good Night.

If you answered YES to any of the questions above, then keep reading....

How to Get a Good Night's Sleep

DO:

Try to keep a regular bedtime

Keep the lights down low

Keep things quiet

Take a warm bath before bed

Use a comfortable bed with plenty of room

Read a book before bed

Keep the room slightly cool

Exercise early in the day or afternoon

DON'T
Drink caffeine after lunch

Eat chocolate after lunch

Watch TV right before bedtime

Surf the internet before bedtime

Play video games before bedtime

Take late or long afternoon naps

Exercise late in the day or at night

Try these suggestions out and remember that it can take a few weeks to get into a good routine that you can keep doing on a regular basis. If you do get enough sleep, you'll find that you're more awake, alert, happy, and maybe even on the starting 5.

To Sleep, Perchance to Start - Part 1

Clement Micarelli

A parent recently wrote to me asking me to cover the importance of rest for young basketball players, so let's start with the most important type of rest - sleep.

Shakespeare once wrote, "to sleep, perchance to dream", but I say "To sleep, perchance to start". I can't overemphasize the importance of getting a good night's sleep.

Sleep is important because it:

Helps you grow - Want to grow taller? Growth hormone is made while you're sleeping. Exercise and sleep help your body grow.
Helps you repair injuries - sprained your ankle? Got a bad floor burn? Deep sleep helps your body recover from injuries to play another day.
Helps you make memories - Can't remember your plays? Not doing as well in school as you'd like? A good night's sleep can help!
Helps you stay healthy and fight infections - Sleep helps strengthen your immune system.
Let's you DREAM! - Make that game winning shot, first in your dreams, then on the court.

Did You Know?

The average 8-13 year old basketball player needs between 9-11 hours of sleep each night!

How Much Sleep Do You Need? How Can You Get Enough Sleep?

I'll write about this in my next post.

Sweet Dreams....................