Can you snooze your way to improved athletic performance?
by Richard Adams in Uncategorised
During a one-to-one PT session last week, a member and I got into a conversation about napping as a way to prepare for a workout. He was smashing it, and we speculated that his 45 minute afternoon snooze may have been a factor!
So when I saw this recent study, “The impact of daytime napping on athletic performance – A narrative review”, I was curious to see what the science says. It turns out that the available evidence does point towards a positive effect on athletic performance from taking a nap, with a longer nap of >35-90 minutes appearing to have the best impact.
So if you have the time and perhaps are coming off a less than ideal night’s sleep, then grab a nap prior to your next workout. When you find yourself lifting bigger weights than normal, you will find new meaning to the phrase “power-nap”!