Elsevier

Neurologic Clinics

Volume 26, Issue 1, February 2008, Pages 169-180
Neurologic Clinics

Sleep, Recovery, and Performance: The New Frontier in High-Performance Athletics

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ncl.2007.11.012Get rights and content

The relationship of sleep to post-exercise recovery (PER) and athletic performance is a topic of great interest because of the growing body of scientific evidence confirming a link between critical sleep factors, cognitive processes, and metabolic function. Sleep restriction (sleep deprivation), sleep disturbance (poor sleep quality), and circadian rhythm disturbance (jet lag) are the key sleep factors that affect the overall restorative quality of the sleep state. This article discusses these theoretic concepts, presents relevant clinical cases, and reviews pilot data exploring the prevalence of sleep disturbance in two groups of high-performance athletes.

Section snippets

Sleep requirement (total sleep time)

There is great interest and debate over the optimum amount of sleep (sleep length) required for humans to recuperate and function normally. Van Dongen and colleagues [2] have shown a dose-response relationship between hours of sleep deprivation and decline in cognitive function using the psychomotor vigilance task. Although a research subject's performance was relatively stable over the course of the experiment, there were significant differences among subjects in their responses to the

Case 1

A 19-year-old male university swimmer presented with a 3-year history of increasing fatigue and inability to tolerate standard training volume and intensity, following a prolonged viral illness. The sleep history was significant for a lifetime of light nonrestorative sleep and intermittent violent myoclonic jerking in sleep. Teammates would not share a room with him because of his habit of banging the wall throughout the night. His mother reported an occasion when the athlete was sleeping in

A pilot study of sleep quality and circadian sleep phase in competitive athletes

In an effort to determine the prevalence of poor sleep quality, circadian sleep phase preference, and possible sleep disorders in a spectrum of competitive athletes, a pilot survey of two groups of athletes was performed. The preliminary results of this pilot project are discussed below.

Summary

A pilot study of sleep quality and circadian sleep phase in two groups of competitive athletes spanning the lifecycle of a typical athlete, from adolescence to adulthood, suggests that the prevalence of poor sleep quality is substantial. The author's hypothesis that a delayed sleep phase (evening type), a common phenomenon in adolescence, would be prevalent in this population was not upheld. Improved sleep screening and case detection is necessary to address the concerns of athletes, parents,

Acknowledgments

The author acknowledges the assistance of the National Sport School and Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

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