Why? The Science of Athletics

' CHAPTER II HEALTH ASPECTS AND HEALTH TRAINING Sleep-Relaxation-Rewards-Mental Outlook-Dangers of Intermittent Celebrations. Sleep is Important Factor SLEEP is perhaps the most important recu– perative process ordained by Nature for the restoration of nerves and tissue made tired by trainin,g, both mental and physical ; and yet, by many people, the importance of rest generally and sleep in particular is greatly under-rated. During sleep all the vital physiological processes reduce their activity to the absolute minimum ; the breathing is deep and slow, the heart action is unhurried, the nervous system is quiescent and, through complete relaxation, all the muscles are at rest, and, perhaps most important of all, oblivion has drawn a curtain for the time being over all those worries, be they great or small, with which our waking moments are harassed. Scientists, doctors and coaches vary in their opinions as to just how much sleep an athlete needs, and in point of fact it is unsafe to generalize, for the amount of sleep a man needs is bound to vary with the individual himself. Some people get along quite well with seven to eight hours sleep, while others need from eight to nine hours, but one can generalize to this extent, that it is an accepted fact that young people need more sleep than older people, just as the athlete requires more rest than does a person following a sedentary occupation. In the case of schoolboy athletes, I like them to sleep for ten full hours, simply because I realize that the body grows more rapidly before the age of twenty than afterwards, and therefore needs more rest for purposes of recuperation.