Being an athlete can be one of the most rewarding and exhilarating things a person can do. However, as with anything that’s challenging, there are many hurdles attached to becoming the best possible athlete you can become. Thus, so many people look for modern solutions like a weighted blanket for athletes to help eliminate common issues associated with being one.
There are varying degrees to being an athlete, meaning someone like Lebron James and a middle school soccer player are both technically athletes. However, as someone ages and takes their sport more seriously, that’s where injuries tend to occur.
Younger kids who are just beginning their journey into the athlete world typically don’t have any issues when they’re playing. Of course, some kids will get injured, but it’s significantly less likely to happen compared to grown men who are competing to best the best.
On top of the varying factors age-wise, there are countless sports in which someone falls under the athlete category. Depending on the sport you play, you might have to venture off into a different recovery model compared to someone else.
Nevertheless, are you an athlete experiencing physical pain and health issues you’re hoping to solve? Look no further, as we’re going to discuss everything there is to know about being an athlete and health concerns and tips in the matter. Let’s get started!
The information on Namaste Blankets is intended to be used as guidelines. Do not replace our advice with a registered health professional or therapist’s advice. It’s best to consult with your healthcare professional for serious inquiries.
Last update on 2023-03-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
What is an Athlete?
Generally speaking, you have a clear idea about what an athlete is, but for those who don’t, let’s go over who falls under the athlete spectrum. Now, if you’re looking at just the phrase athlete, this would mean anyone who is playing a sport, no matter their skill level.
Some people have an issue with this since they feel athletes should only be people who excel at a sport. Still, from a definition standpoint, it’s anyone who plays a sport. As for the sport itself, it can vary from being hockey to football to soccer to Olympic swimming and so on.
Now, as for professional athletes, that is someone who earns an income from playing a sport. The income they make can be as little as a standard minimum wage job or be as much as someone like Floyd Mayweather makes a year.
However, as someone ages and pursues their dream of being a professional-level, they tend to feel the health consequences of being around the high school level. People tend to get bigger and stronger during these times, causing an influx of serious competition.
Health Concerns for Athletes
Whenever someone brings up the subject of athletes and being an athlete, most people aren’t aware of the number of health issues that can occur on their body and mind. Being an athlete is an incredibly challenging task and gets only more difficult as a person dives deeper into their sport.
Thus, it’s crucial to be aware of what can potentially go wrong with your body as you begin to be more cognizant of the area. Plus, depending on your sport, you might be more susceptible to some of these health concerns than others.
Here are a few common health concerns for athletes:
Fatigue
Fatigue tends to be the most common concern for athletes, meaning they have difficulty obtaining the ideal amount of energy day in and day out. Sleep tends to be the most common area to fix fatigue, but as their sport season gets more profound in the year, they’ll get more tired.
Stress
Stress can come in countless waves for athletes. Plus, if they’re a college athlete, they may have the added stress of trying to do their schoolwork while worrying about their game. Besides school, athletes worry about their team’s performance, leading to an absurd amount of stress.
Sore and Pulled Muscles
As for physical injures, soreness tends to be the most common area of concern for athletes to experience. Whether it’s running, football, basketball, hockey, soccer, or anything, athletes tend to feel sore after a brutal workout or game.
Sprains, Fractures, and Broken Bones
A more extreme variation of feeling sore has to do with sprains, fractures, and broken bones. Contact sports are generally responsible for these sorts of injuries. Still, non-contact sports are responsible for these issues as well.
Head Injuries
Head injuries are unfortunately widespread in sports, especially in football. As a result, sports have become more aware of how to help eliminate head injuries through better padding, protection, and teaching on how to actually perform.
Depression
One area that tends to be left out while discussing sports is the amount of mental illness that plagues athletes. Depression is ubiquitous for athletes, especially when they feel they haven’t reached their full potential yet or are disappointed in their results.
Last update on 2023-03-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
How Athletes Can Treat Their Health Issues and Injuries
As you can tell, many health issues can potentially rise up and make an issue on an athlete. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to address the health concerns at hand, such as utilizing the many weighted blankets for athletes.
Before we discuss weighted blankets, here are a few common ways for athletes to treat their health issues and injuries:
Meditation
Meditating is quite common for athletes to do since it can allow them to reach a peace of mind they usually wouldn’t obtain. Still, meditating requires patience, so make sure you do what you can to do it properly.
Good Diet
As great as exercising and working out can be for an athlete, none of it is possible without having a good diet alongside it. Considering diet is such an important area of concern, athlete or not, it makes sense why a diet can do wonders in preventing health issues and injuries.
Massages
Muscle aches and pains can typically be ridden away with a good deep massage. Plus, there are plenty of massage guns available in the world for people to consider utilizing to give themselves a massage.
Surgery and Medicine
Surgeries and medicine are a more common way of treating a health issue or injury. Since so many athletes hurt themselves in more ways than not, it’s always ideal for them to seek the right medicine and potential surgery to help them.
Knowing Their Limit
Although knowing your limit isn’t a way to treat your health issue or injury, it’s something you can do to prevent hurting yourself from moving forward. Always be aware if you’re doing too much and if you need a break or not.
Other Options
We’ll discuss the benefit of weighted blankets for athletes in a moment. Still, there are plenty of other ways for athletes to take care of themselves. Depending on what athlete you go to, they’ll all offer a different level of expertise for this area.
What is a Weighted Blanket?
A weighted blanket is a blanket that has additional weight sown into it. The weight is typically made from sand, pellets, glass beads, and much more. Most experts will cite glass beads as being the best for longevity purposes. Still, it also depends on how often you’ll use the blanket.
With the subject of athletes at hand, many athletes will look for the best weighted blanket for athletes as a good starting point to find the best one for them. Considering there’s so much information at hand, how do they work in the first place?
How do Weighted Blankets Work?
Weighted blankets work similarly to how standard blankets operate, wrapping around you until your body is covered. However, since they have additional weight, it promotes a state of relaxation that generally wouldn’t be obtained from a traditional blanket.
This sense is similar to a huge, promoting a deep pressure sense that humans often need to feel calm and relaxed. As a result, it helps rid the body of stress and cause an immense amount of calmness, which is always beneficial to achieve.
Last update on 2023-03-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Can Weighted Blankets Help Athletes?
With the subject of a weighted blanket for athletes, of course, weighted blankets do wonders for athletes. Athletes tend to have a high heart rate and do a lot of action while they’re perfecting their craft. As a result, they need to relax when they can and get grounded. Otherwise, they may run into more severe issues if they’re always out of whack.
How to Choose the Right Size and Weight
As for choosing the right size and weight, it’s actually a lot more straightforward than you might realize. Be sure to get one that covers your body and is roughly ten percent of your body weight. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should try to get one that’s around 16 pounds or so. You don’t have to be exact but ballpark it.
Last update on 2023-03-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Conclusion
By now, you should know everything there is to know about what an athlete is and how a weighted blanket for athletes can be great for you recovery-wise. Be sure to closely examine the information presented to help decide which weighted blanket is best for you. You won’t be disappointed once you make your decision.
For athletes in training, gaining every benefit from your workout routines to eating a proper diet, and reducing stress are crucial to your success. This includes the quality of your sleep. This means that you should consider a weighted blanket for athletes that provides benefits that may assist in your training efforts.