The Psychology of Rest
By Dr. Anna Enright, DNP, PCNS-BC and Georgia Nourse
Rest is an essential component of recovery and wellbeing. Resting occurs while we sleep. However there is a growing body of literature about the importance of psychologically resting while we are awake. This includes taking time to unplug, breathe, and take a break from the many demands harnessing our moment to moment attention. Our beliefs about psychological rest have an impact on our relationship with taking this kind of down time. We often connect psychological rest to our self-worth, productivity, and the fear that if we rest, our performance will suffer. The worry, often, is that if we rest, we will fall behind. We associate rest with laziness. If this is you, it’s time to start challenging this belief system. While we will focus on the importance of psychological rest in athletes, our discussion here applies to all humans.
Psychology of Rest in Athletes
The vital role of rest and recovery is often overlooked in the training and performance of athletes. While physical training is crucial for improving skills and fitness, mental recovery—through rest—is as important for achieving optimal performance.
Rest helps athletes perform better in the long run by allowing both the body and mind to recover from the stress of training. A balance between intense training and effective rest is necessary to prevent burnout, injury, and mental fatigue. We are not just talking about sleep but also periods of downtime, relaxation, and the mental strategies used to unwind.
Mental Rest: What does research tell us?
In athletics, physical recovery is valued and often incorporated into training schedules. Although the mental aspects of recovery have been more recently highlighted as being important to mental wellbeing, they are often neglected. What we do know is that neglecting mental recovery results in athletes tiring faster and performing poorly in endurance type activities. Athletes may also feel like the activity was harder than usual. Being mentally tired doesn’t seem to affect how strong someone is, how fast they could go in a short burst, or how well they do in quick, powerful activities.
Incorporating skills that promote relaxation and mental recovery, such as mindfulness, meditation, or simply engaging in hobbies outside of their sport are a few ways to incorporate mental rest.
Coaches can integrate rest in training plans. Scheduling rest sessions or taking a few minutes before a training session to quickly check in, set an intention for the practice and taking 3-5 deep breaths together are two easy ways to drop in these concepts to your teams. Doing so will send the message that psychological rest is seen as an essential component of the overall training and not an afterthought. Coaches and athletes who prioritize rest sessions and incorporate them into regular training schedules have better awareness and understanding of when to push for intensity and when to allow for mental and physical recovery. Balancing training loads with periods of rest and sufficient recovery will prevent overtraining, burnout, and injuries.
Other ways to do this include integrating meditation practices in training as well as encouraging active rest. Instead of complete inactivity, athletes can engage in active recovery, like light physical exercises, yoga, or stretching. The goal is to promote recovery without overloading the body.
Rest as a Performance Tool
Proper rest can boost cognitive functioning, creativity, decision-making, and overall performance. During periods of rest, the brain consolidates memories and new skills learned during training. This is why sleep and rest are so critical—deep sleep (especially REM sleep) is when the brain processes and stores information. Without adequate mental rest, athletes may struggle with concentration, focus, and decision-making, all of which are key to optimal performance.
Athletes who get quality rest are more likely to train effectively and perform at their best. Psychological strategies like mindfulness, self-reflection, and relaxation techniques help athletes recover mentally, leading to improved focus and performance when they return to training.
Monitor Athlete Stress and Fatigue
It falls on the coach to monitor athletes for signs of stress, fatigue, and burnout. This includes both physical signs (soreness or injury) and psychological signs (irritability or lack of motivation). Regular check-ins with athletes are key to identifying when they need rest or recovery time, rather than pushing through exhaustion. This can include listening to what athletes are saying regarding how tired they feel as well as making sure to balance hard training days with recovery activities.
Some other things to consider:
Optimizing Sleep
We know that sleep is essential for muscle repair, cognitive function, and overall recovery. Quality sleep enhances performance, reduces the risk of injury, and supports mental health. During deep sleep, the body produces growth hormone, which is vital for tissue repair and muscle recovery.
Maintain a Regular Sleep Schedule: Athletes should aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends, to regulate their circadian rhythms. Check out our free download, Sleep is a Superpower
Avoid Screens Before Bed: The blue light emitted by phones, tablets, and computers can interfere with melatonin production, making it harder to fall asleep. Aim to avoid screens at least 30-60 minutes before bedtime.
Create a Restful Sleep Environment: Make sure the bedroom is cool, dark, and quiet. Investing in a comfortable mattress and using blackout curtains or white noise machines can help improve sleep quality.
Pre-Sleep Rituals: Engaging in relaxing activities such as reading, stretching, or meditative breathing before bed can help signal the body to wind down
Incorporate Variety in Training
Mental and physical fatigue can be mitigated by diversifying the types of workouts athletes engage in. Doing the same thing day in and day out can lead to both burnout and overuse injuries. Variety keeps the training process stimulating, allowing for continuous improvement while avoiding stagnation.
Cross-Training: Encourage athletes to participate in activities outside their primary sport. For example, a runner might benefit from swimming or cycling to reduce the strain on the same muscle groups.
Incorporate Different Modalities: Alternate between strength training, aerobic conditioning, flexibility exercises, and sport-specific skills training. This can improve overall fitness while giving specific muscle groups time to recover.
Mental Variety: Try changing the focus of training to target different aspects of performance (e.g. speed one day, endurance the next) or introduce playful elements such as games or competition in training sessions.
Active Recovery: Use lighter activities like yoga, walking, or swimming to help the body recover while still staying active.
Encourage Self-Regulation and Reflection:
Athletes must be proactive in managing their physical and mental well-being. Self-regulation allows athletes to assess their needs for recovery, pushing when necessary and resting when appropriate. This approach can help prevent overtraining and mental burnout.
Self-Reflection: Encourage athletes to regularly check in with themselves. Journaling about how they feel physically and emotionally can help them track patterns of fatigue, stress, and recovery needs.
Monitor Training Load: Encourage athletes to listen to their bodies and adjust their training intensity based on how they feel. For example, if they experience persistent soreness or fatigue, they might need to adjust their workload or add more rest days.
Mental Check-ins: Athletes should be encouraged to assess their mental state regularly. If they feel mentally drained, it might be time to reduce training volume or take a break to recharge.
Prioritize Nutrition:
Athletes must prioritize proper nutrition during recovery. Consuming adequate nutrients is essential for muscle recovery, glycogen restoration, and preventing fatigue. Poor fueling during recovery periods can lead to impaired muscle regrowth, fatigue, and increased risk of musculoskeletal injury.
Protein: Consuming adequate protein during recovery periods aids in muscle repair, muscular remodeling, and immune function. Some protein-dense foods to consume during recovery are chocolate milk, eggs, or cottage cheese.
Carbohydrates: It is recommended that athletes consume carbs, especially in the hours after exercise. Carbohydrates help support daily-fueling demands and mitigate energy deficit, fatigue, and injuries.
Fluids: Rehydration is a crucial part of the recovery process, especially when athletes have a short time-period between sessions (e.g. combined format comps). Drinks with electrolytes (sodium) enhances rehydration processes through increasing fluid retention. While not often considered a drink for rehydration, milk contains comparable amounts of sodium to sports drinks and has the added benefit of protein.
Effective rest, including mental and physical recovery, is critical for optimizing performance and long-term success. By paying attention to rest, athletes and coaches can improve training outcomes, reduce the risk of injury, and enhance overall well-being. Recovery and rest are just as crucial to success as hard work and dedication. Athletes need to be encouraged to recognize the importance of rest and recovery in their training routines, not just as downtime, but as a strategic element to enhance performance and long-term well-being.
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References
Eccles, D. W., Balk, Y., Gretton, T. W., & Harris, N. (2022). “The forgotten session”: Advancing research and practice concerning the psychology of rest in athletes. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 34(1), 3-24.
Heaton, L. E., Davis, J. K., Rawson, E. S., Nuccio, R. P., Witard, O. C., Stein, K. W., ... & Baker, L. B. (2017). Selected in-season nutritional strategies to enhance recovery for team sport athletes: a practical overview. Sports medicine, 47, 2201-2218.
