Quality sleep is essential to the functioning of most body systems (if not all!), including immune function, tissue healing, pain control, learning, and memory. In other words, your body must have time to repair and recover to achieve progressive physical improvements. Whether you are recovering from an injury or trying to stay active and reduce your risk of injury, sleep is a critical piece of the puzzle.

Inadequate Sleep

It’s not just that quality sleep is good for you, but sleep deprivation actually has negative effects on your body. Lack of sleep can lead to:

• Impaired tissue healing (very important for anyone recovering from injury)

• Increased risk of musculoskeletal injury in youth athletes

• Decreased athletic performance - limited endurance and slowed reaction times

• Increased stress hormones, higher heart rate, and increased mood disturbances

• Diminished performance in school and work

Quality Sleep

Deep sleep can make a significant impact on your body’s ability to recover. Whether you are recovering from an intense surgery like an ACL reconstruction or a challenging workout, proper rest can help set you up for success. Quality sleep leads to:

• Increased growth hormone (which leads to improvements in muscle repair and the body’s ability to build muscle)

• Improved learning and memory - essential for improvements in athletic performance and relearning that happens during injury rehabilitation

• Positive changes in pain perception allowing for participation in activity and rehabilitation

Steps to a Better Night Sleep

Here are some of our top tips to help improve your sleep quality. Find a few things that resonate with you and start to make small, but consistent changes in your daily routine. A little goes a long way!

• Set a consistent sleep schedule: going to bed and waking up around the same time each day helps your body find a routine. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but try to avoid sleeping in until 10am on the weekend if you typically get up at 6am during the week.

• Keep your room cool and comfortable: research suggests keeping your room temperature between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit at night

• Create a relaxing bedtime routine that works for you: read a book, take a bath, journal, meditate, stretch…whatever works for you (as long as it’s not scrolling on your phone)

• Unplug before bed: this one is big! Blue light disrupts the circadian rhythm. We get enough of it throughout the day, we don’t need to take in more right before trying to sleep.

• Watch caffeine intake, especially later in the day: we all know caffeine can effect sleep. Some people handle it better than others so listen to your body. If you’re someone who becomes jittery and anxious after a cup of coffee, try to avoid it later in the day.

• Get regular exercise: keeping your body active throughout the day helps us feel tired in the evening. Even exposing ourselves to sunshine first thing in the morning by getting outside for a short walk can help reset the circadian rhythm (tough to do in the winter in New England, but a great option as the weather improves!)