Sleep and sport performance

Elite athletes and coaches believe sleep is the most important recovery strategy and widely consider it critical to optimal performance. Despite this perceived importance there are numerous circumstances which can reduce sleep quantity and quality in athletic populations. Due to the effects of sleep loss on various physical, neurophysiological and cognitive parameters, such perturbations can have consequences for performance and recovery outcomes. Although peer-reviewed literature examining the interaction between sleep, performance and recovery in athletes is increasing, our understanding of these issues remains equivocal. Perhaps most pertinently, the effect of sleep on sport performance does not align with a one-size fits all approach and rather depends on numerous factors such as type of sport, scheduling, time of the season and the intra-individual requirements for sleep. The relationship between brain plasticity and memory, which in turn can influence learning processes and long-term memory consolidation, suggests that sleep may play an important role in learning new skills and tactics for both elite and developing athletes. The aim of this special issue review is to analyse the evidence of sleep loss on sport performance and recovery, with a specific focus on elite athletes. An assessment of these sleep-compromising situations that elite athletes may face during a typical season and practical considerations for alleviating these issues are also provided to further our understanding for medical professionals, scientists and applied sporting practitioners alike.