If you want to boost athletic performance and overall vigor, get to bed early, suggests a new study.

Seven members of the Stanford University football team participated in the experiment, which was directed by Cheri Mah of the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Laboratory. All began the season showing signs of moderate fatigue and daytime sleepiness.  For seven to eight weeks, they extended the amount of time they slept, aiming for a minimum of ten hours of shut-eye every night.

The benefits were dramatic. Average sprint times in the 20-yard shuttle improved from 4.71 seconds to 4.61 seconds. Average 40-yard dash times decreased from 4.99 seconds to 4.89 seconds. The footballers reported feeling more vigorous and less sleepy and fatigued during the day.

In previous research, Mah has shown that competitive swimmers improve their times by sleeping longer. “Sleep duration may be an important consideration for an athlete’s daily training regimen,” she concluded in a press release issued by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

The advice is simple: Make sleep a top priority if you plan to compete in any strenuous athletic events. Extend the amount of time you sleep for several weeks before the event. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day to maintain a regular sleep-wake schedule.

Tags: athletic performance, sleep, vigor