What Are the Benefits of Healthy Sleep for Dancers?
Sleep is often an underrated part of looking after ourselves and ensuring we are happy and healthy. Studies have shown that athletes, for example professional dancers, often show higher levels of insomnia, and more brain activity before bedtime.
It’s easy to throw our sleep and rest routines on the back burner when our lives are constantly busy, especially for around concert time for dancers. But consistently getting enough sleep is highly important, especially for growing dancers and provides many benefits.
These benefits include:
- Sleep increases the secretion of growth hormone, which is necessary for dancers to grow and get stronger
- Memory consolidation and motor sequencing occurs during sleep which is important for dancers in order to develop skills to learn and remember choreography
- With rehearsals and performances running back to back at this time of year, without enough sleep/rest from high intensity rehearsals, the quality of the performance will begin to suffer, which could ultimately lead to injury
Tips for better sleep:
- Set up a cool, dark sleep environment
- Avoid caffeine before bed
- Avoid screen time before bed – try reading instead
- Try to get into a consistent routine – waking up and going to sleep around the same time each day
- Slow down and avoid letting racing thoughts occur before bed – try journaling out the thoughts or creating a to do list for the next day to take your mind off it
Sleep is an underrated part of looking after ourselves and ensuring we are happy and healthy. Studies have shown that athletes, for example professional dancers, often show higher levels of insomnia, and more brain activity before bedtime.
Dance Factor is a Wollongong-based dance studio, offering classes in all styles for all ages and abilities. If you are interested in enrolling or trialling a class or have any general enquiries contact info@dancefactor.com.au.
Information sourced from:
Eat, Sleep, Dance, Repeat: The Importance of Sleep for Dancers