Have you ever dragged your tail to the gym and set a PR? You probably shook your head and decided that you would never bother trying to understand your body. Drs. William Kraemer and Steven Fleck offer a surprising explanation:
“Chronic sleep loss can compromise physiological performance, but limited sleep deprivation from typical sleep patterns has been shown to create a higher physiological state. This higher physiological state is created by increased nervous system sensitivity and higher levels of catecholamines…released by the adrenal glands in situations of stress…”
So, if you have not slept well before a competition or a heavy training session, counterintuitively, it may have been for the better—at least in strength and power events, such as the next week’s Tactical Strength Challenge.
(Do not abuse this discovery by partying the night before or depriving yourself of sleep on purpose.)
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| | P.S. For those having trouble falling asleep, Russian folk wisdom to the rescue.
Count to 3. If it does not work, count till 3:30…
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