Sleep Better Tonight, Dance Better Tomorrow

July 8, 2014

A rough night’s sleep can easily translate into a tough, sluggish day at the studio. And new research from Tel Aviv University’s School of Psychological Sciences confirmed that interrupted sleep can be as detrimental as getting no more than four hours of continuous sleep.

 

The research team compared participants’ mood, alertness and attention after a regular eight hours of sleep and then after a night where they were woken by phone calls four times and asked to complete a short computer task before returning to bed.

 

The results: Even after just one night of interrupted sleep, the participants had negative moods and trouble focusing on tasks the next morning. And the negative effects only stack up after repeated days of poor sleep.

 

What can you do at night to make sure you’re ready for tricky barre combinations in the morning? As tempting as it may be, resist the urge to check e-mails, text messages and social media in the middle of the night. Leave all devices in another room or turn them to silent mode, so you won’t be disturbed. Your body will thank you in the morning.