Sleep to Win!: Secrets to Unlocking your Athletic Excellence in Every Sport

by James B. Maas, Haley A. Davis

Professional hockey player Mike Greenza was a first-round draft pick out of Cornell University, full of youth, talent, and unlimited potential. Midway through his second NHL season, that potential is still unrealized. He and his team struggle, scraping the bottom of their division. A chance comment by Greenza's little sister, Britt, changes everything. Reacting to her brother's moodiness and fatigue, she reminds him of former professor Dr. Jim Maas, who had been an advisor to his Cornell team and a nationally renowned sleep coach. Told as a fable and filled with performance-enhancing scientific facts for athletes of every level in all sports, Sleep to Win follows Greenza as the season unfolds. He reconnects with Maas, author and world renowned sleep researcher, who schools him in the latest sleep research as it applies to athletes, including the exact amount of sleep athletes need; how a specific sleep stage actually enhances what is practiced; a way to heal (and prevent) injury with extra rest; and the elements of the perfect pre-game nap. Soon, Mike is skating better and scoring more, his teammates are jumping on the sleep-to-win bandwagon, his coach is becoming a believer, and the entire team is climbing out of the cellar and into the Stanley Cup playoffs-a testament to the power of sleep.

132 pages, Paperback

First published January 18, 2013

About the author

James Beryl Maas was an American social psychologist and professor who was best known for his work in the field of sleep research, specifically the relationship between sleep and performance. He was best known for coining the term "power nap". He holds a B.A. from Williams College and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell University. Maas also produced numerous film specials on sleep research for PBS, BBC, and others.

Reviews

[Robyn Oster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for my non-reader athlete. It’s basic, to the point but great info on how important sleep is door athletes.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been looking for a book like this for quite some time. There are tons of articles, books, and studies about sleep, but none that I could find which specifically focus on athletic performance. I work full-time as a software engineer, but I also compete in women's boxing so I am pretty short on sleep.

First off, this book is a quick and easy read. There is a full bibliography if you want to follow up and get more technical, but the book itself is more of an overview. I finished it in one day on the train. The format is pretty unique, in that it's told in a series of emails between Maas and a hockey player. It's kind of cheezy but it's at least better than it being dry. The ending is completely bizarre and I'm not sure what the intention was there...

I was disappointed to find out that Maas asserts that there is no substitute for uninterrupted sleep in sufficient quantity. But I guess that's kind of like being disappointed in weight loss books which say you have to eat less to lose weight. Nonetheless I found it useful that he explained exactly how sleep affects athletic performance and there were also a lot of good tips for getting better sleep and nap quality. I got a lot of suggestions that I have implemented into my life. I'm still not sure where the extra sleep will come from unless I drastically reduce my training volume (which Maas recommends in favor of sleep deprivation) or quit my job, but I'm trying.

[Bskidmore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though I wasn't particularly impressed with the cheesy delivery of information (the authors stage it as a series of emails and phone calls back and forth from the professor, an athlete, his sister, his coach, and other professionals), the book is a quick read and has very pertinent information for all of us. To save everyone an hour worth of reading, here are the biggest take-home points:

*3 Golden Rules of Sleeping to Win:
1. Get your body's required amount of sleep EVERY night. (Generally 9.25 hours for young people; 7.5-8.5 hours for those over 26 years old.)
2. Stick to a regular sleep-wake schedule EVERY night (even on the weekends).
3. Get your sleep in one continuous block.

There are also some great tips on napping, like keeping your nap time to only 20 or 90 minutes. Sleep affects more than we give it credit for. This book definitely convinced me to make sleep more of a PRIORITY!!

[Felix G Borrero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, not only for athletes but for everyone concerned on their sleep hygiene

Dr. Mass employs a easy to follow case to explain in detail the different and sometimes arid aspects of sleep hygiene and sleep physiology.

[Ian Causton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of great tips and a clear explanation why sleep can be so beneficial when learning/performing.

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting info. Super cheesy delivery.