Believe it or not, the same rigors and rest requirements that take place in the athletic setting and in training, pertain to the same requirements that are needed in the academic setting. As a former professional athlete, professional coach, and now working on my doctoral program, I have learned that the same rest and recovery techniques I use as an athlete pertain to the same ones I use in school. Most of these recovery techniques are developed around resting the mind and recovering from the psychological drain of high intensity physical/mental training. As a doctoral student, I feel the same mental drain and physical demands that are similar to athletic training. The stimulus for training is different. But the effects are very similar. Psychological problems are frequently related to under-recovery, the integration of efficient recovery into athletes' training and competition routines appears to be a buffer against psychological problems such as burnout and depression (Kellman et al., 2018). Either way, rest and recovery is key to optimal performance for both athletes and scholars. One technique to efficiently ensure people are adequately resting in sports, academic setting, and or life, in general, is to have someone track and identify what resting techniques are being used, how often they are being used, and how effective they are. Mentors, athletic coaches, parents, teachers, etc can provide guidance and track their students resting protocols so that they are ensuring the student is receiving adequate rest. I think Coaches and Teachers do a disservice to their athletes and students when they don't take an active role in learning about what their proteges are doing in their off-time. What students do outside the classroom and gym is just as important as what they do inside.
Reference:
Kellman, M., Bertollo, M., Bosquet, L., Brink, M., Coutts, A. J., & Duffield, R. (2018). Recovery and performance in sport: consensus statement. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 13(2), 240-245. http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2017-0759
