Sleep

Image from:http://swimmingthechannel.blogspot.com/

It is not possible to train too hard. It is very easy to recover too little. The most important factor in recovery is sleep. According to Dr. Shirin Shafazand of the University of Miami, the consequences of too little sleep include, impaired glycogen storage, deterioration of glucose metabolism, impaired tissue recovery due to changes in cortisol levels, reduced levels of hGH, and a deterioration in aerobic endurance. It does not take a rocket surgeon or brain scientist to see the connection between sleep and sporting performance or the connection between lack of sleep and lack of sporting success.

Swimmers train for more hours and more often than most other sports (because they can; therefore they do; therefore other swimmers have to in order to stay competitive). Because of the demands of the rest of the day somewhere near 50% of a swimmer’s training is completed before breakfast so they have to wake up around 5 or 5.30 a.m. for training which starts at 6.00 or 6.30 a.m. Tracking back from that time means they need to be asleep by 8.00 or 9.00 p.m. at the latest in order to get an adequate amount. Failing to do that will result in a lack of energy substrates stored in the muscle fibers, inefficient metabolism of the reduced substrates, ineffective tissue repair after training, diminished skeletal growth, and deterioration of already developed physical abilities. In summation, the developed physical and physiological qualities will regress, the ability to train will diminish, the ability to respond to training will diminish, the ability to regenerate tissue will diminish, and overall skeletal growth will be suppressed. Additionally, a sleep-deprived athlete will often believe he or she is even more fatigued than they actually demonstrate, with all of the usual symptoms of fatigue exaggerated in the mind of the athlete. Their psycho-physiological volition will, therefore, be diminished – all part of a vicious circle which will drain them of energy and reduce their motivation to excel.

This set of circumstances exactly describes the swimmers of Singapore in general and Singapore Sports School in particular. “Sleep, perchance to dream.” Don’t sleep; don’t want to dream [of success]. The swimmers need to be either asleep by 9.00 p.m. at the latest, or start morning training at 8.00 a.m., or some combination of both. This aspect of Sports School life may be the single most important ingredient in changing the success-rate of Sports School swimmers.