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The importance of rest

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The importance of rest

Hi Vibers! Today, we’re back with a new blog to help you understand the importance of rest and learn how to improve sleep quality.

Rest is crucial for overall well-being, but often overlooked, especially in the sports world. Poor sleep and lack of rest negatively impact various aspects of daily life, but there are certain factors, like nutrition, that can help improve it. If you want to know how rest affects performance and how to enhance it through nutrition, keep reading.

Effect of sleep on sports and recovery

Sleep is one of the fundamental pillars of health and well-being, with significant impacts on physical development, emotional regulation, cognitive performance, and overall quality of life. For athletes, it is a vital recovery process. Critical psychological and physiological factors like cognition, tissue repair, and metabolism contribute to training capacity, recovery, and, consequently, performance—all of which are influenced by rest.

When the stress of training is not balanced with adequate rest, subsequent performance can be negatively impacted. Inadequate sleep can deplete resources of the autonomic nervous system, leading to reduced heart rate variability and increased resting heart rate. Additionally, sleep deprivation disrupts muscle protein synthesis, increasing catabolic hormones and decreasing anabolic ones. This results in poorer training adaptations and recovery. Altered glucose metabolism may reduce glycogen depletion, while reduced protein synthesis can impair recovery and adaptation to training, worsening performance. Moreover, muscle fatigue can negatively impact sleep due to pro-inflammatory cytokines that disrupt normal sleep patterns.

Rest and mental health

Sleep restriction also negatively impacts both alertness and levels of stress and academic performance. It also affects cognitive performance, worsening vigilance, learning, memory, decision-making, and creativity. For athletes, learning new skills and having the ability to remember information is essential. The foundation of memory consolidation lies in rest. The sleep period after learning new skills is crucial, and restriction in this period can have a negative impact on memory consolidation.

On the other hand, it affects mental health by increasing levels of stress and anxiety, creating a bidirectional relationship: lack of sleep and poor sleep quality contribute to the emergence of stressors, leading to irritability. Conversely, stress and cognitive interference throughout the day negatively impact sleep quality. As a result, it worsens the ability to cope with new challenges.

Nutrition and rest

Several factors affect sleep quality, and nutrition is one of them. Here are some key nutritional aspects to consider for improving rest:

  • Protein-rich foods high in tryptophan: Tryptophan is converted into melatonin via serotonin pathways. By increasing the bioavailability of tryptophan, we can enhance melatonin synthesis and improve sleep quality. Tryptophan is predominantly found in animal products like beef, lamb, pork, poultry, and dairy, though it is also present in nuts, seeds, whole grains, and legumes.
  • Specific foods: Certain foods affect sleep. Research has shown that cherries improve various sleep indices due to their high melatonin, serotonin, and other phytonutrient content. Additionally, seafood has been found to have beneficial effects on sleep, attributed to its high zinc content.
  • Carbohydrates: Carbohydrate intake has been shown to improve tryptophan levels, thus enhancing sleep quality.
  • Energy balance: It’s important to consume enough energy to ensure proper recovery and avoid nocturnal hypoglycemia. As discussed in the blog, nocturnal hypoglycemia worsens rest and hampers recovery. Therefore, adequate energy (and carbohydrate) intake is essential to prevent hypoglycemia.
  • Caffeine, alcohol, and stimulants: These should be avoided at least six hours before bedtime to prevent negative effects on sleep.

In addition to food choices, meal timing also impacts rest. Disrupting circadian rhythms, such as by eating late at night, can impair sleep quality.

Conclusions

Rest is essential for overall well-being, impacting both athletic performance and mental health. Adequate rest helps reduce stress levels, improves cognitive abilities, supports muscle protein synthesis, boosts anabolic hormones, enhances recovery, and increases performance.

Nutrition also affects sleep quality. Therefore, a well-balanced diet with sufficient carbohydrates, tryptophan-rich foods (such as cherries and seafood), and avoidance of stimulants like caffeine and alcohol can help improve sleep.

References

  • [1] Charest J, Grandner MA. Sleep and Athletic Performance. Sleep Medicine Clinics [internet]. 2020; 15(1),41-57.
  • [2] Doherty R, Madigan S, Warrington G, Ellis J. Sleep and Nutrition Interactions: Implications for Athletes. Nutrients [internet]. 2019;11(4):822.
  • [3]  Zuraikat FM, Wood RA, Barragán R, St-Onge MP. Sleep and Diet: Mounting Evidence of a Cyclical Relationship. Annual Review of Nutrition [internet]. 2021;41:309-332.
  • [4] Binks H, E Vincent G, Gupta C, Irwin C, Khalesi S. Effects of Diet on Sleep: A Narrative Review. Nutrients [internet]. 2020;12(4):936.
  • [5] Hernando-Requejo O, Hernando-Requejo V, Requejo Marcos AM. Impacto de la alimentación en la lucha contra el insomnio. Nutrición Hospitalaria  [internet]. 2021;37(Spec No2):57-62.