Sleep Hygiene for Optimizing Recovery in Athletes: Review and Recommendations.
AI Summary
This review examines sleep's impact on athletic performance, offering insights relevant to sleep optimization protocols. The researchers found that sleep deprivation negatively affects multiple performance metrics in athletes, including reaction time, accuracy, vigor, submaximal strength, and endurance. Cognitive functions like judgment and decision-making also decline with poor sleep. Conversely, sleep extension showed positive effects on various performance measures including reaction times, mood, sprint times, tennis serve accuracy, swim turns, kick stroke efficiency, and basketball shooting accuracy. The study introduces the concept of 'banking sleep' - extending sleep before planned sleep deprivation - as a potential performance enhancement strategy. For individuals following sleep optimization protocols, these findings suggest that prioritizing sleep quality and duration can improve both physical and cognitive performance. The review emphasizes that improving sleep quality is a simple yet effective intervention, potentially eliminating the need for supplements with adverse effects. While focused on athletes, these findings likely apply to anyone seeking to optimize performance through better sleep hygiene.
Key Findings
- Sleep deprivation negatively affects reaction time, accuracy, vigor, submaximal strength, and endurance in athletes
- Sleep extension positively impacts reaction times, mood, sprint times, tennis serve accuracy, swim turns, kick stroke efficiency, and basketball shooting accuracy
- Cognitive functions including judgment and decision-making suffer with sleep deprivation
- Banking sleep (sleep extension prior to intentional sleep deprivation) may improve performance
- Improving sleep quality is described as simple and effective, benefiting both health and performance
Abstract
For elite athletes who exercise at a high level, sleep is critical to overall health. Many studies have documented the effects of sleep deprivation in the general population, but few studies exist regarding specific effects in the athlete. This review summarizes the effects of sleep deprivation and sleep extension on athletic performance, including reaction time, accuracy, strength and endurance, and cognitive function. There are clear negative effects of sleep deprivation on performance, including reaction time, accuracy, vigor, submaximal strength, and endurance. Cognitive functions such as judgment and decision-making also suffer. Sleep extension can positively affect reaction times, mood, sprint times, tennis serve accuracy, swim turns, kick stroke efficiency, and increased free throw and 3-point accuracy. Banking sleep (sleep extension prior to night of intentional sleep deprivation before sporting event) is a new concept that may also improve performance. For sports medicine providers, the negative effects of sleep deprivation cannot be overstated to athletes. To battle sleep deprivation, athletes may seek supplements with potentially serious side effects; improving sleep quality however is simple and effective, benefiting not only athlete health but also athletic performance.
Authors
Kenneth C Vitale, Roberts Owens, Susan R Hopkins, Atul Malhotra