As a swimmer, new or experienced, rest and sleep are both extremely important in being at the top of your game. With demands like school and work, mixed with intense training in and out of the water and multiple sessions a day, this 'rest' can prove to be difficult to manage.
Every swimmer, whether they are a beginner or not, needs a good sleep. Having a good sleep means the greater the recovery or you as an individual, you are more able to fight off injury or illness as your body is stronger and in the long run you will be swimming much faster all due to getting a good sleep.
More training means more sleep needed, the harder the training that you do, the longer and more efficient sleep you will need. the need for recovery is one of the most important in the sport that we do. Studies have found that the less sleep you have, the slower your reaction times in the pool. for example after almost 20 hours deprived of sleep the reaction times you would be expected to swim up to 300% slower than usual.
In summary, sleep, rest, and recovery, are as much as big a deal as any in sport especially swimming. The need for sleep is bigger than the need for new training equipment, new suits, new anything.
The right sleep will put you as an athlete on the right path for as long as you swim.
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