Bad sleep found to double a runner's risk of injury

Amsterdam (dpa) – Getting a good night's rest may not be the highest priority on your checklist before a run, with many hoping a good diet and proper stretching will help them reach a new personal best. But new research shows that for elite runners and any of the millions of people worldwide who jog regularly, the standard eight hours not only boosts performance but could also be key to preventing the sprains and strains and tears that running can lead to. A new survey of 425 runners found that those reporting shorter sleep times or broken sleep "were nearly twice as likely to sustain an injury" as those who had a restful night between the sheets. The study offers "compelling evidence that sleep is a critical yet often overlooked component of injury prevention," according to Jan de Jonge of Eindhoven University of Technology and the University of South Australia, who carried out the research with Toon Taris of Utrecht University. Published in the journal Applied Sciences, the results should put to bed what de Jonge said is the tendency for runners to place sleep at "the bottom of the list" below preparation such as nutrition and stretching. "Our research shows that poor sleepers were 1.78 times more likely to report injuries than those with stable, good quality sleep, with a 68% likelihood of sustaining an injury over a 12-month period," de Jonge said, describing the findings as "a strong reminder that how well you rest is just as important as how hard you train." "When sleep is disrupted or insufficient, the body's ability to repair tissues, regulate hormones and maintain focus diminishes, all of which can increase injury risk," de Jonge explained. "Sleep quality and sleep duration are both important, but quantity often provides the bedrock," de Jonge and Taris concluded in their paper, calling for a good night's rest to be "recognized not only as a recovery tool, but also as a potential predictor of injury vulnerability in recreational sports." According to the University of South Australia, while more than 600 million worldwide are recreational runners and likely are healthier for it, 90% of them are likely to get injured at some point. The ensuing downtime ends up "costing the world economy millions of dollars each year in work absences and medical expenses," the university said. The following information is not intended for publication dpa spr coh

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