Ask anyone how many hours of sleep, on average, they get per night. What do they get? Somewhere between 5-7, if you’re lucky.

Then ask a doctor how many hours of sleep, on average, you should be getting per night. What’s their answer? Somewhere around 8, but with a push towards getting somewhere closer to 10.

So then ask anyone what their response to that recommendation is. What’s that going to look like? Something along the lines of “Yeah, right” but probably with some more expletives worked in. But then what if I told you that there’s some new research happening at Harvard that might end insomnia forever, and make it so everyone could get the sleep they need? Now we’re talking, right?

Sure enough, the work of Dr. Patrick Fuller is maybe getting us to exactly that point. Dr. Fuller is working on sleep medication to help ensure full, rich nights of sleep. And not the ‘full night’s sleep’ that current sleep medication provides that leaves you groggy upon waking up or is indefinite in the time you’ll be able to wake up–there is the potential for this medication to help cure insomnia outright, some researchers believe.

So naturally the question becomes: How? Fuller is using research that dates all the way back to 1950’s, changing the way that sleep medication affects the brainstem. By counteracting the brainstem’s traditional function of “wake-promoting,” Fuller and his team are helping to make sleep come more automatically, make it deeper, and most importantly make it actually restful. According to the researchers, advancements on this research could even ultimately induce sleep. Not just deep and rejuvenating sleep, but deep and rejuvenating sleep whenever you want or need it. Cheers to you, Dr. Fuller.

But so what does this mean for athletics and sport psychology? The lives of athletes are busy; when you’re not training, studying film, eating, maintaining diet and exercise logs, or completing rehabilitation and recovery exercises, chances are you’ve still got lots left to do that isn’t directly involved with being an athlete. There’s a nearly constant struggle of time-management, and for most athletes the thing is sacrificed is the same: sleep. This lack of sleep, though, is all sorts of detrimental to physical performance. To expect an athlete to be at their best, when operating on a night of no sleep is the equivalent of operating with a BAC of .10 or higher, is absurd. And while Dr. Fuller didn’t necessarily have athletes specifically in mind while he conducted his research, he’s still doing a world of good for athletes all over.

Get sleep when you can get it; ample hours of rest can be one of the most important things for healthy functioning. But in a world where it’s not always feasible to get your doctor-recommended 8 hours of sleep, Dr. Fuller might have the next best thing.

Click here to read more about Dr. Fuller’s research.

You are feeling anxious? Lucky you.

I am going to get on my soapbox for a couple minutes here. I think everybody can thrive from anxiety. However, the feelings of anxiety often make us uncomfortable. The root of this anxiety is because neither you, nor I, really know how to use our anxiety. Because here is the thing, anxiety could just be one of the most powerful innate skills we as humans possess, and instead of running with it, we run from it. If you look up the definition of anxiety this is what you will find: “a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.”

Then scroll down and take a peek at the synonyms: worry, concern, apprehension, apprehensiveness, uneasiness, unease, fearfulness, fear, disquiet, agitation, angst, misgiving, nervousness, nerves, tension, and tenseness.

Well I think, while I am up here on my soapbox, I would like to pick a fight. I would like to pick a fight with the idea that anxiety is a negative thing. I would argue that anxiety is indeed a positive thing. I’ll use with another word, excited. The definition of excited reads: stirred emotionally, agitated, stimulated to activity, aroused, to cause; awaken. Now I may be the only one, but I have experienced both these feelings and have come to realize that the feelings can overlap a great deal. Are you going on a first date? How do you feel–anxious or excited? Are you buckling your seat on a roller coaster? Is that feeling anxiousness or excitement? Competing in a game? I ask you the same question. Are these feelings only anxiety or only excitement–often times it seems hard to have one without the other.

An excessive amount of anxiety is not beneficial, I agree. When it creeps its way into places it doesn’t belong, anxiety can cause problems from a physiological standpoint. And that is not going to do anyone any good. But, what if we can channel small amounts of anxiety into positive performance. Even an abundance of anxiety can be transformed into a wealth of energy and excitement. We can change the way our body responds to anxiety if we first change the way we think about it. People do not walk up to a podium in front of 500 people without anxiety. The players in the NHL, NFL, MLB, and NBA have all had their share of this feeling. However, the athletes and people that view anxiety as a strength and a skill for performing are the ones that can reach optimal performance.

If you asked every person if they have experienced this feeling, I would be surprised to hear if even one person had not. It is a natural response developed with our “fight or flight” reflex many years ago. And we still find it prevalent today. The role of anxiety has clearly left a genetic imprint that is crucial to our evolution (and to your success). So before I step down from up here where the view is great, I will ask you to remember one thing. The next time you feel your anxiety kick in, heart racing, sweat going, palms sweaty, and body shaky don’t run from it. Run with it. I am willing to bet you will run much faster with it, then without it.

Want to hear more about this topic? Watch this TED Talk by Kelly McGonigal.

Most athletes, at some point in their athletic career, encounter an injury to some extent. The intensity and duration of the injury may vary significantly from one situation to the next, but there seems to be an overriding theme to injuries. It is seemingly undeniable that with any physical injury there is a set of challenges an athlete will face, and these challenges include a mental component. Not only is it frustrating for athletes to battle back from an injury, but also the pressure to do so in a hurry makes a bad situation worse. USA Today released an article that tackles this topic from the standpoint of an NFL quarterback. It could be argued that the most important position in football is the quarterback. If you do not agree with that, you could most certainly agree that they are at least one of the top most important positions. Tony Romo, quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, currently faces the physical and mental challenges presented with an injury. Romo took a painful knee to the back that caused a great deal of pain to a location that is injury-prone already. After taking a pain killing injection, he returned to play in overtime. Coach Jerry Jones relayed the message that Romo was facing a “function of pain tolerance” and that “nothing medically would prevent him from playing” in upcoming games. Knowingly or not, coach Jones put a substantial amount of pressure on his quarterback for his teammates, fans, and all of the NFL to hear.

In any situation of physical injury, the dependence on physicians and athlete’s collaboration in final decision-making is crucial–regardless of sport, age, gender, or position. The philosophy behind this opinion is rooted in one single fact: the athlete is the only one who knows how they feel, and physicians are the ones that are able to help them determine what is best for their health. This pressure is placed on athletes of all ages, whether it is parents pushing them back in the game or coaches questioning their toughness. In reality, toughness may have nothing to do with it. You may have the toughest person in the world, but even they would not be able to play a game of football with a broken leg. The challenges that injuries present are great enough, but to add additional pressure on an athlete to return can have countless bad outcomes. So how do you help an athlete through injury?

Ask them questions–and genuinely care to hear the answers.

Most athletes that struggle with injury appreciate someone who cares to see them getting better. By asking them how their recovery is progressing and if there is anything you can do to help reminds them that they have a support system.

Be conscious of your judgments.

It is natural to make judgments in any situation. It is what helps us interpret the world around us and the opinions we have about it. The ability to recognize yourself making judgments and to determine if they are justified is a great skill. In this case, know that you may have an opinion about an athlete and their injury, but at the end of the day you are not inside their body and mind.  No one can tell someone else how they feel.

Alleviate the pressure, do not apply it.

The last thing athletes want is pressure to get back in the game. More often than not, the athlete wants more than anyone to be back in. Reminding them that they are missing out on the sport they love is of no help. Allow them to process the injury without convincing them that they are weak. If anything, remind them that there is no pressure in rushing back. Ironically enough, this might get them back faster.

These small skills are a few that can be useful when encountering those dealing with injury. The next time you encounter an injury, whether it be your own or someone else’s, remember to practice being conscious and not critical. The pain of injury is enough in itself–look to help heal it, not hinder it.