The Importance of Sleep for the BJJ Player

The Brazilian art of jiu-jitsu requires consistency to develop the skill set and performance of a grappler. After training a grappler often feels tired, drained, and exhausted. It is not an easy way to fall asleep, as all of the sensations run across the body. Having proper nutrition, training routine, and recovery process is considered an important component in the development of the fighter’s performance.

The body of the athlete requires certain amounts of energy that cannot be achieved only through a nutritional diet. Besides workouts and training sessions, BJJ athletes also need to repair the body which requires a peaceful sleep. During the sleeping process, the body works on muscle recovery which gives relaxation and calmness. To give better performance on the mat fighters require 8 to 9 hours of sleep. It helps to increase the efficiency of the grappler and ensure optimal performance and sufficient recuperation. 

Sleeping plays an important role in the art of grappling. It increases athletic performance and the reaction time on the mat. It has been shown that athletes who are deprived of sleep are not able to perform better on the podium. Seven, eight, or even nine hours of sleep at night is considered ideal for every athlete.

Ideal sleeping habits will surely boost athletic performance in a number of ways. It will significantly improve mental and physical health. The fighters who get ample time to sleep at night are more focused, more accurate, and quicker in their responses. In this article, we will figure out the responses and the effects of proper sleep on athletic performance.

It has been proven that athletic performance increases significantly with sufficient resting time. Basically, sleep is important for everyone but it is crucial for the BJJ fighters. Let us figure out a few ideal ways that ensure you become the most competent grappler in the jiu-jitsu world.

Seven ways will help you to increase your athletic performance in BJJ.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighters who maintain the extra two hours of eye shut each night will boost their mobility. The studies show that the increase in the performance of fighters is up to 5 pecent.

Now it is quite clear that the sleeping process helps the BJJ player or fighter to regain the lost energy and it helps to recover the muscles of the body. The sleeping time of an average fighter ought to be 6 to 7 hours or 4 to 5 hours, it might vary according to the individual.

During the sleeping cycle, the brain works in two modes, REM and NON-REM. In the REM cycle, the brain works actively, and an individual gets into the world of dreams. This sleeping process keeps our mind healthy, through working on the learning and memory of the brain.

The NON-REM cycle is the mode in which the mind and the body transfer into the low active stage. It is the most significant part of the sleeping process where the body starts to physically recover. In this way, you get to recover and retain the power and energy. 

Roll, Eat, Sleep, and Repeat is the most famous slogan used in jiu-jitsu. Most of the BJJ grapplers consider the first and the second parts more crucial and put a slight focus on the third part of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The lack of sleep decreases the performance on the mat. Most of the grapplers nearly put less attention on sleep. It depicts that taking proper resting does not rank high on the list, the lack of basic concepts tends to the need to address this article.

Sleeping for nearly seven to eight hours optimizes the fighter's BJJ performance and enhances the recovery process. Sometime in the past, the combat sport was only stuck to the strength training and conditioning programs. Lately, people keep a stick focus on lifting weights, sprints, CrossFit, and roadwork. Now the concepts are quite different, after intriguing the matter of recovery. Lack of sleep directly affects the jiu-jitsu training, an athlete might feel physically or even mentally tired. 

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is all about taking advantage of your sets of physical attributes at the proper time. Agility helps the Brazilian jiu-jitsu athlete execute the moves and techniques with the highest precision and motion. The sleeping recovery process helps to improve physical and mental coordination. Making a wise decision and scheduling the sleeping routine will surely increase the capabilities of a BJJ athlete. Like other martial arts, it takes years to become an expert in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Some of the grapplers work harder to sharpen their minds and self-defense abilities. It has been demonstrated that working on the three crucial parts of jiu-jitsu will make you perfect and you will stand out on the podium. 

In the grappling art of jiu-jitsu, mental fortitude increases athletic performance. Most of the BJJ athletes put mere focus on the intense training sessions, considering that they will attain a higher level of aptitude as compared to the other fighters. This ideology acts in the opposite direction, as the energy used in the training workouts is not recovered thoroughly which highly affects the performance of an athlete. Inadequate sleep will make you feel sluggish and lethargic in the gym or BJJ tournament.

The well-rested athletes are more focused and alert, they can easily sustain intense training workouts.

Every night as you drift into slumber, your body starts working on repairing the muscle tissues, restoring the energy, and more importantly infusing the protein in the body. During the training sessions when the body gets depleted in the stern and rigorous sessions, it gets a balanced recovery amidst sleep. 

Moreover, the sleeping process increases the mental capacity of the brain by giving mental clarity and emotional stability. In this way, it reduces the stress of training sessions and championships. Adequate sleep triggers the release of essential growth hormones, that recover and build the muscles.

Furthermore, your mind will speed up for strategic thinking, indeed the well-rested mind becomes more critical and sharper. You will become more alert and better equipped to handle the stress and pressure of intense training sessions and competitions.

If you are the one who wakes up and feels exhausted, this is because you are having improper sleeping schedule, or you put less focus on sleeping. Following are the tips that improve the sleeping pattern of BJJ athletes:

• Make a schedule for sleeping early and fix a proper time for it.

• Create a habit of sleeping at least 7 to 9 hours a day.

• Try the night strength exercises that help to relax the muscles and yield proper sleep.

• Avoid the use of caffeine before 2 to 3 hours of sleep.

• Include yourself in the activities that make you fall asleep, that includes reading a book or listening to soft music.

• Sleep in a noiseless space to make yourself more comfortable.

• Evade the use of energy drinks at night.

• Make your mind peaceful, and stop thinking about your worries and troubles. 

The process of sleeping has the regenerative power, that restores the energy level of the complete body. Sufficient sleep triggers the production of the hormones that help in the recovery of cells and muscles.

Sleep is the pillar of a balanced recovery regime, that makes the BJJ athlete more passionate, quick, and competent. The revitalization of the sleeping process will give you mental agility in your jiu-jitsu journey. Lastly, sleeping is a non-negotiable part of your regime towards victory. The BJJ fighters who get enough sleep are less stressed out and can give magnificent performances.