Publication: Sleep and Nutrition in Athletes

Research Impact: Despite the documented evidence to support the benefits and importance of sleep in promoting physical and mental recovery and performance in athletes it is clear from the current literature that sleep inadequacy has been reportedly high amongst elite athlete populations. The potential role of nutrition and sleep in athletes is becoming an area of increasing interest in relation to athlete recovery and performance has led to the creation of the term ‘chrononutrition’, namely the relationship between food intake and the circadian clock. Training adaptations and recovery including sleep can be optimised by appropriate nutritional practices. The concept that such nutritional interventions may improve athlete sleep and recovery, through mechanisms such as improved hormonal status, muscle protein synthesis and/or muscle glycogen stores has led to increased research in this area. There are number nutrients which show promise in relation to the promotion of sleep and athlete recovery which are critically appraised in this article. Whilst the number of studies investigating the effect of nutritional interventions on sleep in athletes are increasing more research is required in elite athlete populations.

Doherty, R., Madigan, S., Warrington, G. and Ellis, J.G., 2023. Sleep and Nutrition in Athletes. Current Sleep Medicine Reports, pp.1-8.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s40675-022-00244-3