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Sleep and nutrition in athletes
Sleep and nutrition in athletes is an often overlooked aspect of recovery and performance. In this article, we explore the multiple factors that can affect an athlete’s sleep quality and quantity. Sleep in athletes Many athletes suffer from sleep issues, including short duration of sleep (a.k.a. sleep deprivation) and sleep disturbances (e.g. insomnia, waking up at night) (1, 2). The factors that may contribute to sleep issues in athletes include: Muscle soreness (1) and pain Intense training (1) Early or late training sessions or competition (2, 3, 4) Poor sleep hygiene, including screen use close to bedtime (2, 3) Stress, nerves and/or anxiety due to competition or other reasons (2,…
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What is glycine?
If you remember chemistry or biochemistry from high school, the word glycine might ring a bell. If not, read on to answer the question: what is glycine? What is glycine? Glycine is the simplest amino acid. Amino acids are chemical compounds that contain an amino group (NH2) and carboxyl group (-COOH). The chain between is composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms and its length defines the amino acid. Amino acids are the building blocks of all proteins. Amino acids are normally categorised in non-essential (produced by our bodies) and essential (which must be consumed in our diets). Glycine is a non-essential amino acid; however to be more exact it should…
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Book review: Sleep Smarter (Shawn Stevenson)
Continuing with the sleep health theme of the month, here I review Shawn Stevenson’s bestselling book Sleep Smarter. The author Shawn Stevenson is the American podcaster behind The Model Health Show. He was diagnosed with degenerative bone and disc disease as a teenager, which led to weight inactivity, poor food choices and subsequent weight gain. One day he made the decision to reverse what doctors thought was irreversible. He fixed his exercise, diet and sleep and now helps other people to improve their lifestyle. The book This book has an interesting structure. It’s divided in 21 chapters, each one is a tip for better sleep. At the same time, every…
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Book review: Why We Sleep (Matthew Walker)
If you are a subscriber to my newsletter, you know this week is Sleep Awareness Week. One of the factors driving negative health outcomes is lack of sleep. Among the people leading research on this topic is Professor Matthew Walker. Here, I review his bestselling book Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams. The author Matthew Walker is a British scientist and academic with a degree in neuroscience and a PhD in neurophysiology. He is currently a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, as well as the founder and director of the Center for Human Sleep Science. He has published numerous papers on…
