Daniel Bonnar1, Kate Bartel1, Naomi Kakoschke2, Christin Lang3. 1. College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia. 2. School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. 3. College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia. christin.lang@flinders.edu.au.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Athletes experience various situations and conditions that can interfere with their sleep, which is crucial for optimal psychological and physiological recovery as well as subsequent performance. Conventional sleep screening and intervention approaches may not be efficacious for athletes given their lifestyle, the demands of training and travel associated with interstate/international competition. OBJECTIVES: The present systematic review aimed to summarize and evaluate sleep intervention studies targeting subsequent performance and recovery in competitive athletes. Based on the findings, a secondary aim was to outline a possible sleep intervention for athletes, including recommendations for content, mode of delivery and evaluation. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted based on the PRISMA guidelines in May 2016 with an update completed in September 2017. Ten studies met our inclusion criteria comprising a total of 218 participants in the age range of 18-24 years with athletes from various sports (e.g., swimming, soccer, basketball, tennis). A modified version of the quality assessment scale developed by Abernethy and Bleakley was used to evaluate the quality of the studies. RESULTS: The included studies implemented several sleep interventions, including sleep extension and napping, sleep hygiene, and post-exercise recovery strategies. Evidence suggests that sleep extension had the most beneficial effects on subsequent performance. Consistent with previous research, these results suggest that sleep plays an important role in some, but not all, aspects of athletes' performance and recovery. CONCLUSION: Future researchers should aim to conduct sleep interventions among different athlete populations, compare results, and further establish guidelines and intervention tools for athletes to address their specific sleep demands and disturbances.
BACKGROUND: Athletes experience various situations and conditions that can interfere with their sleep, which is crucial for optimal psychological and physiological recovery as well as subsequent performance. Conventional sleep screening and intervention approaches may not be efficacious for athletes given their lifestyle, the demands of training and travel associated with interstate/international competition. OBJECTIVES: The present systematic review aimed to summarize and evaluate sleep intervention studies targeting subsequent performance and recovery in competitive athletes. Based on the findings, a secondary aim was to outline a possible sleep intervention for athletes, including recommendations for content, mode of delivery and evaluation. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted based on the PRISMA guidelines in May 2016 with an update completed in September 2017. Ten studies met our inclusion criteria comprising a total of 218 participants in the age range of 18-24 years with athletes from various sports (e.g., swimming, soccer, basketball, tennis). A modified version of the quality assessment scale developed by Abernethy and Bleakley was used to evaluate the quality of the studies. RESULTS: The included studies implemented several sleep interventions, including sleep extension and napping, sleep hygiene, and post-exercise recovery strategies. Evidence suggests that sleep extension had the most beneficial effects on subsequent performance. Consistent with previous research, these results suggest that sleep plays an important role in some, but not all, aspects of athletes' performance and recovery. CONCLUSION: Future researchers should aim to conduct sleep interventions among different athlete populations, compare results, and further establish guidelines and intervention tools for athletes to address their specific sleep demands and disturbances.
Authors: Romain Meeusen; Martine Duclos; Carl Foster; Andrew Fry; Michael Gleeson; David Nieman; John Raglin; Gerard Rietjens; Jürgen Steinacker; Axel Urhausen Journal: Med Sci Sports Exerc Date: 2013-01 Impact factor: 5.411
Authors: D L Costill; M G Flynn; J P Kirwan; J A Houmard; J B Mitchell; R Thomas; S H Park Journal: Med Sci Sports Exerc Date: 1988-06 Impact factor: 5.411
Authors: Luiz H Palucci Vieira; Felipe B Santinelli; Christopher Carling; Eleftherios Kellis; Paulo R P Santiago; Fabio A Barbieri Journal: Sports Med Date: 2021-04 Impact factor: 11.136
Authors: Yasuki Sekiguchi; Courteney L Benjamin; Ciara N Manning; Jeb F Struder; Lawrence E Armstrong; Elaine C Lee; Robert A Huggins; Rebecca L Stearns; Lindsay J Distefano; Douglas J Casa Journal: Sports Health Date: 2021-10-27 Impact factor: 4.355
Authors: Trent Stellingwerff; Ida A Heikura; Romain Meeusen; Stéphane Bermon; Stephen Seiler; Margo L Mountjoy; Louise M Burke Journal: Sports Med Date: 2021-06-28 Impact factor: 11.136
Authors: Courteney L Benjamin; Ryan M Curtis; Robert A Huggins; Yasuki Sekiguchi; Rajat K Jain; Bridget A McFadden; Douglas J Casa Journal: Sports Health Date: 2020-04-09 Impact factor: 3.843
Authors: Meeta Singh; Stephen Bird; Jonathan Charest; Thomas Huyghe; Julio Calleja-Gonzalez Journal: J Clin Sleep Med Date: 2021-02-01 Impact factor: 4.062
Authors: Thilo Hotfiel; Isabel Mayer; Moritz Huettel; Matthias Wilhelm Hoppe; Martin Engelhardt; Christoph Lutter; Klaus Pöttgen; Rafael Heiss; Tom Kastner; Casper Grim Journal: Sports (Basel) Date: 2019-06-13