Improving your recovery

Recovery should:

• Improve the quality of training
• Prevent overtraining or maladaptive training
• Decrease the risk of developing an overuse injury
• Improve performance in competition

Sports scientists have been investigating which are the most appropriate techniques and procedures to assist athletes to recover. While the jury is still out on the use of some of the techniques mentioned below, there is scientific evidence to support their use.

Sleep

Elite athletes and coaches recognise the importance of sleep as a critical aspect of recovery. Performance is heavily influence by both the quality and quantity of sleep. Bodies are restored and repaired during sleep and the need for sleep increases with increases in training load. Sleep deprivation will not only reduce performance during competition, but also blunt the recovery process and negatively affect adaptation to training. Poor sleep has also been associated with impairments in the functioning of the immune and endocrine (hormone) systems.

There are several nutritional factors which could influence sleep quality and quantity.  There is some evidence which suggests that consuming foods containing tryptophan, an essential amino acid, may improve sleep quality. Eggs, milk, meat, fish, poultry, beans, peanuts, cheese and leafy green vegetables all contain , so try and include some of these ingredients in your last meal of the day.