Sleep your way to success

A simple reminder from a study of athletes at elite sportsfocused high-schools in Sweden. Researchers followed 340 of them for a year, tracking which factors predicted who would get injured. The best predictors? Those who reported sleeping at least eight hours per night at the start of the study were 61 per cent less likely to get injured during the study; those reported meeting guidelines for fruit, vegetable and fish consumption were 64 per cent less likely to get injured. It’s not rocket science, but in an age of increasingly complex recovery aids and rehab tools, it’s worth reminding yourself: Sleep well, eat well and take care of yourself, and you’ll increase your chances of staying injury-free.

Alex Hutchinson is one of the most respected sports science writers in the world. His latest book, Endure, is available now.