Comment: Why rest is so important

Interesting... I just did a look up, and read some statements about the US Winter Olympic teams sleep programs. Included was a statement from Mark Rosekind, PhD, president of Alertness Solutions and a former NASA scientist, that "Eight hours of sleep is the standard,". "There is a range, but 7.5 to eight hours of sleep is the optimal amount." However, it all depends on if you're having "quality" sleep. Apparently they did some testing modifying hotel room conditions - and they proved, temperature, lighting, bed comfort, all plays a part to exactly what range between 7-8 hrs works best for an individual. There appears to be no magic formula. Of course, it also depends on factors like caffeine & alcohol. The research I've read shows that it is believed that if you regularly average over 8 hours sleep then you're "oversleeping". Oversleeping is linked to diabetes but actually effects your level of Serotonin and can cause headaches.

Don't know about the footballers with 9 hours - maybe this is just a phase during a peak period?

One thing I know with the pro triathletes however is that their coaches write "sleeping" into their daytime program to boost their recovery and release HGH to enable them to back up the day with a second gruelling training session. But these are only naps of about an hour I think.

Anyone else know anymore?

I aim for 7.50/8.0 hours per day, and usually end up closer to 7.0/7.50, which can be difficult around daylight saving time as I get up around 4.00/4.30... If I don't get it I find that over the week I progressively decline in performance...

And I'm all for a snooze after a work-out and frequently get in 20/30 minutes after training in the morning. I find that getting up earlier, training and then having a snooze works wonders.

Cheers, Baz