The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee is focusing intensely on sleep and mental health as the Paris Games draw near.Senior Director of Psychological Services of the USOPC, Dr. Jessica Bartley, stated, "We're looking at matters of one second, one goal, or one point." And sleep is undoubtedly one of the things that can put us in a great position when we consider all of the many elements and where we can obtain an advantage. It's crucial to get enough sleep.
A few weeks after the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, the 129-year-old USOPC established a task force focused on mental health; the Psychological Services team is new to the organization. Four years later, the team offers screenings, extensive resource guides, programming, and 14 mental health providers.
One of the mental health assessments conducted recently found that the athletes consistently and unequivocally worry.
"What worries them the most," Bartley stated. "Jet lag and sleep are major concerns for many sportsmen. People ask us, "How can I get enough sleep so that I can function at my best?" One of the markers is sleep, which is frequently strongly associated with mental health issues.
Those don't sound like formulas for an Olympic gold medal.
It is not surprising at all that athletes would identify sleep as a stressor. A 2016 survey found that 49% of Olympic competitors fit the description of "poor sleepers," according to the IOC's mental health toolkit. The same study identifies "a higher stress state" and "increased daytime dysfunction" as being associated with poor sleep among elite athletes.
In the short and long terms, sleep is pretty fundamental to both performance and health, according to Emily Clark, a qualified clinical and sport psychologist who joined the USOPC in 2021. "And while a lot of athletes claim that getting enough sleep is essential, their busy schedules frequently make it difficult."
Athletes competing at the Olympic level travel the world continuously. Simultaneously, many people have early morning jobs, are parents of small children, and train several times a day. The world's best athletes lose out on important sleep hours due to these obligations.
Socially speaking, Clark claimed, "we really don't do ourselves any favors either."
It follows that most Olympic athletes don't get enough sleep, are aware that they should, and are anxious about it.
This brings us to the USOPC's Sleep Optimization Program, for which Bartley and Clark represent psychological services on a ten-person working group that also includes medical professionals, physiologists, dieticians, psychologists, strength and conditioning specialists, and a team of outside experts in sleep medicine. All Americans will have access to the program. athletes who have qualified for the Olympics and Paralympics in Paris. Next, they have the option to opt in or out.
If athletes agree to participate, they will track their sleep for a few days and complete screening tools about their own sleep habits. The personnel of the USOPC will then take over.
Given their contextual constraints, "they'll meet with one of our team members with that information who can provide consultation regarding changes they can make to help them leave for Paris with the best possible sleep," Clark said.
For instance, as a way to reduce jet lag, Bartley and Clark would advise a certain athlete to begin rising earlier each day of the week before their trip to Paris."We can incorporate some really interesting pieces that aren't too difficult," stated Bartley. "Have you considered getting into bed a little earlier? ", we ask them. Have you considered reading a hardcopy book instead of an app on your phone? Consider carefully when to turn off the television.
Have you given white noise any thought? Have you given the temperature any thought? Have you given the lighting any thought?
"We've been working very hard to consider the science behind it and how we can support the athletes' sleep so they can compete at their highest level."
It's understandable that such degree of information might seem stressful. According to Clark, excessive analysis and rigorous tracking during sleep can actually increase stress. A lot of folks have been thinking the same thing over and again: I won't get enough sleep tonight. I only sleep for X hours a night. Tomorrow is going to be a slow day for me.
Clark argues that these are totally normal human ideas, and she makes sure her athletes are aware of this in order to prevent unnecessary stress.
It's okay if we only get a few hours of sleep one night, according to Clark. Setting up the conditions for your body to be able to receive the sleep it needs is more important than obsessing over getting enough sleep.
"We reject the misconception that says, 'My day is going to be awful if I don't get enough sleep.'"
Athletes who have spoken out about the value of sleep include sprinter Gabby Thomas, who won silver and bronze in the Tokyo Olympics. Thomas turns off her phone, TV, and all other external connections around 8:00 p.m. on most nights before going to bed. Thomas recently received her master's degree in epidemiology from the University of Texas, where she published a paper on the racial differences in sleep disorders and the epidemiology of sleep disorders among Black Americans.
Thomas is not the only one who prioritizes nighttime. Legendary shot putter Ryan Crouser, who is currently in contention for a third Olympic gold, attributes his nearly ten-year run at the top of his sport to sleep.
Every detail important. Once this year’s Olympians arrive in Paris, their Olympic Village will contain a distinctive quirk: no air conditioning. In lieu of AC, organizers have erected a water-cooling system underneath the settlement. With a 45% reduction in carbon footprint, the project aims to limit the Olympics' influence on climate change.Because the experimental arrangement may affect participants' sleep, USOPC staff members have tailored their instruction to address this as well as every other aspect of the 2018 Games.
Being able to assist the players in visualizing is cool, according to Bartley. They are aware that we have everything under control and have given it careful attention.
With more sleep resources than any other athlete in history, the American Olympians will be ready to take on those mattresses in Paris.
Maybe a few more gold medals will result from those extra Zzzs.