DENVER (AP) – Jarome Iginla draws the blackout curtains and keeps his room at a cool temperature. He silences his cellphone and sometimes reads a relaxing book to drift off.
Although he’s an 18-year veteran, the Colorado Avalanche forward only recently happened upon this simple eye opener: Quality sleep really does matter. Especially to athletes.
The closer Iginla comes to nine hours of slumber on any given night, the better his production seems to be on the ice. That is why Iginla is not a big fan of early morning practices before games, even though those skates are as much a part of hockey tradition as playoff beards and the handshake line.
There is evidence that sleep restriction curtails adequate rest and recovery for athletes, which can impact performance. Some NBA teams have even dabbled with eliminating the traditional shootaround.
Cheri Mah, a researcher at the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Laboratory, tracked the sleep habits of the men’s basketball team at Stanford for a study released in 2011. By extending their sleep, the Cardinal players increased their 3-point and free throw shooting by 9 percent.