Athletes take the opposite approach from the “sleep when you’re dead” crowd.
They know that if they’re actually going to perform at a top level, they need to get enough rest to build stronger muscles and have their brains convert new skills from short-term memory to long-term memory — so those skills can eventually become instincts.
“Rest isn’t lazily slothing around; it’s an active process in which physical and psychological growth occurs,” Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness write in their recent book Peak Performance.
Olympian Mikaela Shiffrin, who’s on track to become the most decorated skier in history, tries to get in an hourlong nap every day even though she gets an average of nine hours of sleep every night.
—7 Performance-Boosting Habits Top Olympic Athletes Have in Common
