The importance of rest in sports: key to improving performance

Sometimes, even a reset can be the best way for the system to continue fulfilling all its functions. And our natural way to restore the system is through rest. Sleeping well and enough hours during the night, and being able to take a short nap – at least half an hour – or relax for a while in the middle of the day, are the key to not feeling overwhelmed by exhaustion.

After all, all mammals relax after eating… But if a short break is not possible during the day, resting at night must be absolutely mandatory.

Restorative sleep

Nighttime sleep hours are essential if we want to face a new day full of energy, with our “batteries” well charged. While we sleep, our metabolism slows down to allow total muscle relaxation, sleep being the best restorative method for their tissues, since during the different phases of sleep, they regenerate. That is the importance of rest! Speeding this up is one of the benefits of pressotherapy.

And there are many more benefits for our health when we sleep at least 8 hours daily. Although there are no conclusive results about the minimum required hours of sleep, we will focus on 8 hours as a reference, although some people feel recovered after sleeping well for 5-6 hours.

Sleeping provides us with a general state of well-being with positive effects on our memory and concentration ability, as well as strengthening the immune system and reducing blood pressure or inflammation, not to mention that we will also feel more energetic and in a better mood.

Poor rest also affects weight gain, causing our body to release a hormone that increases your appetite, and this is because the part of your brain that controls sleep is the same that regulates metabolism.

Why should you worry if you can’t rest well?

Our sleep patterns, often broken by the frantic pace of our lives or due to many worries on our minds, can lead to a state of stress that becomes chronic with terrible consequences for both body and mind.

None of these systems, fully interconnected, will work well if we do not give rest the importance it deserves. If we have been sleeping poorly for a long time at night, without fully disconnecting.
Feeling that we have not really reached deep sleep but have spent the whole night restless and in a state of dozing – half awake, half asleep – it is very likely that we will wake up feeling like a truck ran over us. How important it is to rest!

It would not be strange to suffer painful back cramps or feel that our legs weigh like sacks of flour. The matter is serious and we must not underestimate these warnings. They are surely symptoms of a sleep disorder that should be consulted and treated with our doctor before becoming severe.
A mind and body that do not rest will sooner or later be a sick mind and body. Do not wait any longer to give rest the importance it deserves!

And many ailments can arise as a consequence of poor rest:

Heart diseases
Diabetes
Some types of cancer
High blood pressure
Stroke
Decreased testosterone in men.
Lack of sexual desire in both sexes.
Increased Cortisol – the stress hormone – which can lead to overweight.
Imbalance in endorphin production, which can lead to anxiety-depressive disorders.
Irritability and lack of mental concentration
Low physical and mental performance

Basic advice to improve rest

Sometimes, we come home after an intense workday so tired that we would go straight to bed, but this is almost never possible, as we usually stay active for a while before embracing the pillow. It would therefore be advisable to adopt a series of patterns that help us enter “relax mode” and prepare us to fall peacefully into the arms of Morfeo:

Maintain regularity in schedules
Try to follow the solar cycle (go to bed a few hours after sunset and get up when it rises again)
Try to recover our usual schedule as soon as possible when it has been broken during the weekend, for example, for leisure reasons.
Do not use devices like mobile phones or tablets shortly before sleeping and avoid working – whenever possible – before going to bed. All this will keep our brain alert and prevent us from disconnecting.
Maintain a stable temperature – between 18 and 22 degrees – in the bedroom.
Take a brief lukewarm shower an hour and a half before going to sleep.
Or take a foot bath, which will also work like the shower.
Sleep without socks (a decrease in internal body temperature induces sleep)
Do physical exercise – between 30 and 60 minutes – before having our dinner for athletes, bearing in mind that resting between exercise and food intake is advisable to recover well and let the body finish its calorie-burning process, which remains active for an hour and a half after having done sports activity.
Have a light dinner such as vegetables or salad or even a good nutritious shake to avoid heavy digestion and try to have dinner at least one hour before sleeping.
Avoid sugar or caffeine before sleeping as they are stimulants that alter our nervous system.
Practice sex whenever there is desire, whether alone or with company. Orgasm is a powerful sedative and relaxant both mentally and muscularly, completely natural and highly recommended by doctors and psychologists.

In conclusion, trying to find a balance that maintains a state of physical and mental well-being is essential for good rest.

Sizen as a conductor of relaxation

Yes, your SIZEN equipment can also be a perfect ally when it comes to resting. Any of the accessories have been designed to provide you with a complete and deep massage, capable not only of redirecting fluids by stimulating the lymphatic system, but also having a relaxing effect that loosens your muscles.

Whether in the middle of the day, during a short rest break, or at night before going to sleep, putting yourself “in the hands” of SIZEN can also help you fall asleep, as it is time to give rest the importance it deserves. Closing your eyes while focusing on the massage or enjoying a good series while the pressotherapy (definition of pressotherapy) session is carried out will also help you enter a state of relaxation prior to sleep in which you should already feel much more rested.