Did you know there's a very simple solution if you're injury-prone as a runner?

Well, according to Professor Jan De Jonge, an adjunct Professor of UniSA Justice & Society and a sports psychologist at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, one needs to consider their sleep “as a performance priority”. Jan De Jonge, with his research team, surveyed 425 individuals.

The participants were runners who run for enjoyment, personal well-being, or fitness. The research analyzed their sleep patterns and injuries.

What did the study find?

• Runners with low-quality sleep were 1.78 times more prone to injury than runners who get at least 7 hours of sleep.
• Runners with poor sleep were 68 percent more prone to future injuries, specifically within 12 months.
• Cause fatigue, and with an exhausted process, people get prone to making more mental and physical mistakes while running and exercising.

The ability to recover specifically after exercise or physical movements decreases due to consistent reduced sleep. During sleep, the human body releases growth hormones, which are beneficial for muscle recovery.

A good sleep is effective in enhancing the blood flow, which provides nutrients to human muscles. Those nutrients are important to heal tiny and invisible injuries caused by workouts.

How to manage sleep to be less injury-prone?

• Some argue that getting enough sleep gets in the way of doing other things. That's why it's important to follow the schedule even on weekends so that their body gets into the routine.
• Besides that, another important factor is to improve the sleep quality. One suggestion is to create a calm environment and routine before bed.
• If runners or anyone avoids heavy meals and caffeine before bed, then their quality of sleep will be improved.

Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar