key to taking care of memory and avoiding injuries

It is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Sleep well Not only does it help you feel rested, but it also improves memory and coordination and reduces risk of injury. This is what he assures Alejandro Luciaprofessor of Exercise Physiology at the European University: “If you fail to sleep, you fail to compete.”

Sleep is the time when our body repairs itself and prepares for the next day. When rest fails, attention, memory, coordination and also physical capacity suffer. “Good sleep also reduces the risk of injuries and health problems,” explains the expert.

Quality is more important than quantity

Lucía emphasizes that it is not about sleeping many hours, but about sleeping well. “The key is a continuous and restful sleep“fall asleep easily, not wake up many times and go back to sleep quickly if it happens,” he explains.

This type of rest allows face the day with more energy and train or practice physical activities with better guarantees, even in stressful situations or changes in routine.

Poor sleep can increase your risk of injury in several ways: worsens decision making and coordination and alters weight control and health general. In activities that require mental speed or precision, the impact of a bad night is even more noticeable.

Habits that help you sleep better

The specialist recommends simple habits that make a difference:

• Turn off screens at least two hours before sleeping.
• Keep the bedroom at a temperature comfortable and stable, avoiding both heat and cold, as both make it difficult to maintain sleep.
• Ensure darkness real so as not to stop melatonin, the hormone that regulates the onset of sleep.
• Expose yourself to natural light in the morning.
• Have a light dinner and with foods that promote sleep, such as chicken, turkey, salmon, dairy products, eggs or tofu due to their tryptophan content (precursor of melatonin).
• Avoid caffeine between 6 and 13 hours before bedtime and don’t train too late.
• Keep regular hours and, if desired, practice meditation constantly.

The snap It also adds up if done well. The so-called “power naps”, of some twenty minutesare useful for increasing total sleep time and improving alertness. The ideal is after eating, between two and three in the afternoon, and without exceeding half an hour so as not to harm the night. “A short nap at the right time is extra fuel for the brain and muscles,” Lucía summarizes.

Signs of a bad rest

Even if you get enough sleep, some signs may indicate that you are not resting well: irritabilityfeeling of fatigue, worse performance in daily activities or training and elevated nighttime heart rate.

Monitor heart rate variability It can help you check if your sleep has really been restful. “If at night the tension does not decrease and the heart does not relax, that sleep has not been truly restorative,” concludes Lucía.