Are You Sleeping, Fighting Knight?

Examining the Sleep Schedules of Lynn’s Student-Athletes

By Grace Werle, Staff Writer

While athletes need to fuel their bodies with nutrients and hydration in order to perform at their best, another key factor in optimal performance is ensuring that they get enough sleep.

This may sound simple or obvious, but maintaining a healthy sleep schedule is a difficult task that many student-athletes at Lynn and beyond often struggle with. To find out how some of Lynn’s student-athletes maintain balance in their lives, iPulse talked to players from the men’s
lacrosseteam.

“Sleep is one of the most important things to being a successful athlete,” said sophomore lacrosse player Ryan Olexa.

When athletes have days off, they tend to catch up on sleep by either taking naps or sleeping in since they do not have to be up early for games or practices. Nonetheless, six out of the 10 athletes iPulse contacted reported not getting enough sleep.

“It is hard balancing lacrosse, free time,and friendships when trying to get the right amount of sleep,” said Nik Leahan, a lacrosse player.

“I make sure that every night I am getting at least eight to nine hours of sleep. This allows me to have more energy for the early morning practices and lifts,” said Parker Keefer, another lacrosse player.

Overall, the men’s lacrosse team had similar input about their sleep schedules. The consensus was that when they made sure to get all their schoolwork done, they were able to get more sleep. iPulse looks forward to further investigating whether or not this trend is characteristic of other Lynn teams, and if there may be a gender dimension to consider when assessing the sleep habits of Lynn’s Fighting Knights.