Sleep, recovery and athletic performance: a brief review and recommendations

Sleep has been identified as an important factor contributing to optimal athletic performance. However, the psychosociophysiological (psychological, social and physiological) stresses placed on elite athletes often results in an increased stress/fatigue state and presents a phenomenon which may result in an inability to gain appropriate sleep. Improving an athlete's sleep hygiene is seen as a key strategy that could have powerful implications for athletic performance. Aside from direct physiological implications associated with improved sleep hygiene, an athlete's sleep perception may influence psychological factors including confidence, anxiety and motivation, and thereby influence performance indirectly through such factors. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to (i) overview the impact of sleep on recovery and athletic performance; (ii) outline sleep hygiene strategies; and (iii) provide sleep recommendations for athletes and coaches. The sleep hygiene strategies presented in this paper represent a practical approach to improve sleep perception in elite athletes