LAYNE MURDOCH/NBAE VIA GETTY IMAGES
Exit
time off of sleep, human error
rate goes up,” added Nieman, who
wrote the book Exercise Testing
and Prescription: A Health-Related Approach. “If you don’t get
your sleep, you’re not going to be
able to perform physically.”
The average age of an NBA player this season hovers around 27,
and rest is even more important
to athletes who are still young despite being career professionals.
“We always say that young
people need sleep, especially as
they’re growing,” Putukian says.
“Without a doubt, there is a link
to performance.”
STRESS
LESS
HUFFINGTON
03.24.13
If you nap every game
day, all those hours add
up and it allows you to get
through the season better.”
While the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention recommends seven hours of sleep per
night, more than 33 percent of
American adults are estimated
to receive less than the recommended seven hours.
“Napping is a good way to catch
up on rest,” Watson, the Jazz
point guard, says. “They are a
must because the emotions from
a game can keep you up
until 3 in the morning.”
Hilton
Armstrong,
#12 of the
New Orleans/
Oklahoma City
Hornets, grabs
a quick nap
on the way
to practice
in 2006.