INCREASED SLEEP TIME LEADS TO BETTER BASKETBALL PERFORMANCE
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011
Coaches and players looking to get the upper hand during the basketball season would be wise to heed the lessons learned from a recent study conducted at Stanford.
As reported in the journal SLEEP, researchers conducted a study on 11 players on the Stanford varsity basketball team. The aim of the study was to determine whether increased sleep times would benefit on-court performance. The players’ baseline sleep schedules were recorded over 2-4 weeks. Then they were asked to change their schedules to allow for a minimum of 10 hours per night sleep time for 5-7 weeks. The players’ sprint times and free-throw shooting accuracy were tested before and after the change in sleep duration.
The added sleep time each night paid off substantially. Sprint times dropped and overall accuracy improved. In fact, players’ free-throw accuracy improved by 9% and their 3-point shot accuracy went up by 9.2%. These numbers could mean the difference between a win or a loss and lend credence to the importance of getting enough rest.
