Life is pretty busy huh? There is a ton of demands on your time on a daily basis. Whether professional or personal, you have a lot of responsibilities. You also have interests and hobbies too, golf chief among them, and carving out time to pursue your golf goals is a challenge too. With your busy schedule, it’s easy to justify shaving a few hours off your sleep each night.
Don’t. Skimping on sleep to get a bit more done is the ultimate in short-term gain and long-term loss, and there are plenty of short-term tradeoffs too. Sleep is incredibly important, and getting enough can make a huge difference in your health and wellness, and your golf pursuits.
Stop Ignoring Your Sleep Needs
Sleep is vital for mental and physical health. It is what allows the body to repair, your brain to function optimally, and your immune system to fight off illnesses. Get enough and you will open the door to a better mood, enhanced focus, and increase your chances of avoiding chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes long-term.
Quality sleep is an essential maintenance period for the brain and body. That’s right, essential. Fail to sleep adequately and you invite both short-term and long-term health problems. You’ll spend your days feeling and performing sub-optimally in a clouded state of perpetual brain fog, and it will catch up to you.
How You Learn
Many wearable health monitors will track your sleep quality for you. If you have one, you’re familiar with sleep scores. Your score will reflect your total amount and a breakdown of your time spent awake or in REM, core, or deep sleep. That deep sleep category in particular is what you need to hone in on, and it’s likely what you’re sabotaging each day.
Why? Because deep sleep is when tissues are repaired, your brain is rejuvenated, memories are consolidated, and cognitive function is restored and maintained. That new move in your backswing you’ve been working on? If you’re not getting enough deep sleep, you are eliminating any chance your brain has to accomplish the lasting motor-learning needed to make it stick! Have you been stuck at the same swing speeds in your speed training for months on end? If you’re not getting enough deep sleep, you’re missing out on the motor learning and the necessary recovery in your muscles to make any adaptations! Your lack of deep sleep is holding your golf game back!
Walking Zombies Can’t Golf
You will play below your capabilities on the course if you’re exhausted; there’s no way around it. Slam coffee and energy drinks all you want; there’s no way to make up for the loss of shut-eye. Get enough and you’ll have improved concentration, mental stamina, and the fortitude to flush that last shot and focus on the next one. You also need to be well-rested for effective neuromuscular recruitment and coordination to make good swings. You’re also far less likely to make bone-headed course management decisions if you’ve gotten enough sleep. You’re also less injury-prone if you’ve slept properly.
Tips for Better Shut-Eye
If you’re finally convinced that sufficient sleep is important, there are some things you can do to maximize its benefits. First and foremost, always try to get enough of it. 6 hours is a minimum; shoot for 8. And if you think you’re one of the rare few who only need 4 hours or so, sorry. Chances are slim that’s you.
But there are only so many hours in the day, and sometimes it’s just not possible to get a full 8. The next priority should be to make the most of the rest you can get. For starters, stop the late-night eating, which can disrupt digestion and your circadian rhythms and will interfere with deep sleep. Try to cut down on fluid intake the later the day gets as well to avoid bladder-prompted wakeups in the middle of the night.
An increasingly common challenge for many: putting the phone or tablet down at least an hour before trying to go to bed. Your device stimulates your brain and interferes with melatonin production. Right when you need to be winding down, your phone is winding you up. Ditch the phone for a good book and give your brain a chance to switch off.
Finally, minimize the booze. Sure, it may help you fall asleep, but it absolutely torpedoes the quality once you are out. If you must, try to finish your last cocktail 3-4 hours before bed and give yourself a chance to have it out of your system before bedtime.
There aren’t enough hours in the day for many of us, but sleep isn’t something you should cut into to make everything else fit. You need it, for your daily health and wellness and for your health down the line. Get enough quality shut-eye, and your golf scores are sure to improve as well.