Be at Your Peak...Get Your Sleep
10/11/2021 5:09:00 PM | Maryland Made
The University of Maryland Wellness Advisory Committee hosted the 'Be at Your Peak ... Get Your Sleep' education session for student-athletes on Wednesday night.
The committee welcomed Team Physician Dr. Kyle Yost, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Parker Tims, and Director of Nutrition Lauren Antle along with guest presenter Kristen Holmes, the Vice President of Performance Science at WHOOP, to the XFINITY Center to speak to student-athletes about how sleep reduces the risk of injury and illness, impacts overall well-being, affects physical and cognitive performance, and enhances recovery.
Holmes and the panel detailed how multiple important factors make the difference between a good night's sleep and a bad night's sleep. Sleep helps an athlete relieve stress, lower their blood pressure, and maintain or lose weight. It also keeps your heart healthy, which the committee stressed is the most important thing.
"I struggle with sleep myself," said Katie Dustin, of the softball team and President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC). "Having all of the stress of being a student as well as an athlete and being a good human is tough."
As the President of SAAC, Dustin's voice is valuable as her fellow student-athletes trust her, and she believes seminars like this are good for student-athletes because of the grind they go through daily.
"Sleep is a two-way street," Dustin continued, "after practice, we all run to the ice bath or the training room, but sleep is the biggest part of our recovery. We're in control of our lives and need to be better about sleep. "
The committee advised that an athlete's sleep can affect their nutrition, and their nutrition can affect their sleep. Sleep and nutrition enhance their Cardiovascular robustness, Mental and emotional resilience and give them a better sense of cognitive control.
Some of these mental and physical improvements include running faster, being present, thinking clearly, and most importantly, decreasing the risk of illness and injury.
Dustin believes in the idea of pushing this kind of messaging because hearing specific reasons why health and wellness is important can make all the difference in a student-athlete's life.
"I think one thing everyone in the building can take away from today is that sleep is super important," Dustin said.
The committee welcomed Team Physician Dr. Kyle Yost, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Parker Tims, and Director of Nutrition Lauren Antle along with guest presenter Kristen Holmes, the Vice President of Performance Science at WHOOP, to the XFINITY Center to speak to student-athletes about how sleep reduces the risk of injury and illness, impacts overall well-being, affects physical and cognitive performance, and enhances recovery.
Holmes and the panel detailed how multiple important factors make the difference between a good night's sleep and a bad night's sleep. Sleep helps an athlete relieve stress, lower their blood pressure, and maintain or lose weight. It also keeps your heart healthy, which the committee stressed is the most important thing.
"I struggle with sleep myself," said Katie Dustin, of the softball team and President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC). "Having all of the stress of being a student as well as an athlete and being a good human is tough."
As the President of SAAC, Dustin's voice is valuable as her fellow student-athletes trust her, and she believes seminars like this are good for student-athletes because of the grind they go through daily.
"Sleep is a two-way street," Dustin continued, "after practice, we all run to the ice bath or the training room, but sleep is the biggest part of our recovery. We're in control of our lives and need to be better about sleep. "
The committee advised that an athlete's sleep can affect their nutrition, and their nutrition can affect their sleep. Sleep and nutrition enhance their Cardiovascular robustness, Mental and emotional resilience and give them a better sense of cognitive control.
Some of these mental and physical improvements include running faster, being present, thinking clearly, and most importantly, decreasing the risk of illness and injury.
Dustin believes in the idea of pushing this kind of messaging because hearing specific reasons why health and wellness is important can make all the difference in a student-athlete's life.
"I think one thing everyone in the building can take away from today is that sleep is super important," Dustin said.
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