SLEEP / 001 [HOW MUCH SLEEP DOES AN ATHLETE ACTUALLY NEED?]

Question
How much sleep does an athlete actually need?

Study
Instead of testing one group of athletes, a team of sleep and sport scientists collected all the research on athletes and sleep. Together with top experts from around the world, they agreed on what athletes should know. Think of it as a summary of what science knows so far.

Findings
For adults, 7 to 9 hours per night is the general advice. For teenagers, 8 to 10 hours. Athletes may need more, because hard training means your body and brain need more time to recover. Sleeping badly is also common in sport: between half and three quarters of top athletes regularly sleep poorly. And time in bed is not the same as time asleep. Falling asleep and waking up during the night both cost time.

What It Means for Athletes
There is no magic number. See 7 to 9 hours as a starting point, not a target. If you want 8 hours of actual sleep, you need more than 8 hours in bed. And if you sleep badly before a big match, don't panic. One bad night does not decide your performance. Your habits over weeks matter more.

Try this: pick your wake time and count back 8.5 to 9 hours. Up at 07:00? Be in bed around 22:15. Keep it up for one week and notice how your training feels.

Source
Walsh, N. P., Halson, S. L., Sargent, C., et al. (2021). Sleep and the athlete: narrative review and 2021 expert consensus recommendations. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 55, pp. 356 to 368.

BEHIND THE SCIENCE
Translating sports science into information athletes can actually use.