Why? The Science of Athletics

WHY?-THE SCIENCE OF ATHLETICS It is the rest and relaxation, not only of the physical body as a whole, but of the mind as well that is so important in this connection. The opinions of good athletic authorities upon this question of the duration of the sleep-period are valuable. Dr. Adolphe Abrahams and his brother Harold, who · won the Olympic sprint in 1924, maintain in ·their book that "eight hours sleep is enough for most and nine hours for anybody". D: G. A. Lowe, Olympic 8ob metres champion and record holder in 1924 and '28, and Dr:-. Arthur Porritt, third to Abrahams in the 1924 Olympic roo metres, in their book suggest an average of eight hours, with as much sleep before midnight as possible ; Harry Edwards, the famous trainer, says nine hours, and Ernie Hjertberg, the Swedish-American Olympic coach, seven to ten hours, according to the status of the individual. But if authoritative opinion varies as to the amount of · sleep required, the consensus of opinion seems to be that nine hours strikes a just average for nearly all cases. To that, however, I would add that much depends upon the conditions in which one sleeps. The man who sleeps out in the open all the year round can do with less sleep ' than the man who uses an indoor bedroom, especially if that bedroom is neither well ventilated nor kept scrupu– lously clean. Upon one point, at least, the authorities appear to be in complete agreement, and that is in relation to regularity. There is an old saying that "one hour's sleep before midnight is worth two hours afterwards", and, although there may be no scientific foundation for this suggestion, it still constitutes good, common-sense advice. The boy who is accustomed to going to bed at ro p.m. and sleeping until 8 a.m. will not be as fit and alert the next day if he goes to bed at midnight and sleeps until ro o'clock next morning. This is simply because he has been awake for a longer period than usual upon the preceding day. If he definitely altered his sleep hours I have no doubt the proper balance of