ABSTRACT
This chapter provides sport psychology consultants the information and tools to increase the quantity and quality of an athlete’s sleep. It focuses on on the use of lifestyle factors in promoting healthy sleep among athletes. The chapter briefly reviews the research on the role of sleep in enhancing athletic performance and describes the components of an effective sleep improvement program. Two distinct types of sleep have been defined by researchers: non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) and REM sleep. The duration and quality of sleep affect all of the major organ systems and physiological processes in the human body. Sleep and wakefulness are under homeostatic and circadian alerting control. The drive to sleep is often referred to as an athlete’s sleep debt. The circadian rhythm or body clock coordinates the timing of all biological processes. Sleep requires quiescence of the arousal system. Muscle tension needs to be reduced to minimum, respiration needs to slow, and the body needs to feel comfortable to encourage sleep.
