Monitoring and Improving Sleep Quality in Professional Athletes
Introduction and Purpose: Sleep is a fundamental component of performance, recovery, and overall health in professional athletes. However, sleep disturbances—including insufficient duration, poor quality, and insomnia—are highly prevalent in this population due to factors such as early-morning trai...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Quality in Sport |
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| Online Access: | https://apcz.umk.pl/QS/article/view/61154 |
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| author | Marcelina Guzik Zuzanna Wyleciał Patryk Dąbrowski Julia Ząber |
| author_facet | Marcelina Guzik Zuzanna Wyleciał Patryk Dąbrowski Julia Ząber |
| author_sort | Marcelina Guzik |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Introduction and Purpose:
Sleep is a fundamental component of performance, recovery, and overall health in professional athletes. However, sleep disturbances—including insufficient duration, poor quality, and insomnia—are highly prevalent in this population due to factors such as early-morning training, late-evening competitions, transmeridian travel, and psychological stress. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of current knowledge regarding sleep monitoring techniques and evidence-based interventions to improve sleep in elite athletes.
Methods:
We conducted a structured literature search in PubMed, Embase, and UpToDate through May 2025. Eligible studies included systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and consensus guidelines focusing on sleep in professional, elite, or Olympic-level athletes. Search terms included combinations of "sleep," "athletes," "interventions," and "performance." Findings were narratively synthesized under thematic headings.
Current State of Knowledge:
Up to 60% of elite athletes report poor sleep quality, and 27–37% exhibit insomnia symptoms during competition periods. Key contributors include circadian disruption, high training loads, pre-competition anxiety, and environmental/lifestyle factors. Assessment tools such as actigraphy and the Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) are validated and widely used. Non-pharmacological strategies, especially sleep hygiene education, sleep extension, strategic napping, CBT-I, and light exposure demonstrate positive effects on sleep duration, quality, and performance. Melatonin shows potential for managing jet lag, though evidence in athletic settings remains limited. Sedatives are rarely studied and should be used with caution.
Conclusions:
Sleep problems are common and impactful in elite sport. Personalized, non-pharmacological approaches should be prioritized, while further research is needed to refine and validate targeted interventions.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-958fe13ba6014fc392c6aeb542805d3f |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2450-3118 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Quality in Sport |
| spelling | doaj-art-958fe13ba6014fc392c6aeb542805d3f2025-08-20T02:35:50ZengNicolaus Copernicus University in ToruńQuality in Sport2450-31182025-07-014310.12775/QS.2025.43.61154Monitoring and Improving Sleep Quality in Professional AthletesMarcelina Guzik0https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4882-8494Zuzanna Wyleciałhttps://orcid.org/0009-0001-2984-7091Patryk Dąbrowskihttps://orcid.org/0009-0004-5388-8581Julia Ząberhttps://orcid.org/0009-0005-2687-566XThe University Hospital in Krakow, Macieja Jakubowskiego 2, 30-688 Kraków Introduction and Purpose: Sleep is a fundamental component of performance, recovery, and overall health in professional athletes. However, sleep disturbances—including insufficient duration, poor quality, and insomnia—are highly prevalent in this population due to factors such as early-morning training, late-evening competitions, transmeridian travel, and psychological stress. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of current knowledge regarding sleep monitoring techniques and evidence-based interventions to improve sleep in elite athletes. Methods: We conducted a structured literature search in PubMed, Embase, and UpToDate through May 2025. Eligible studies included systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and consensus guidelines focusing on sleep in professional, elite, or Olympic-level athletes. Search terms included combinations of "sleep," "athletes," "interventions," and "performance." Findings were narratively synthesized under thematic headings. Current State of Knowledge: Up to 60% of elite athletes report poor sleep quality, and 27–37% exhibit insomnia symptoms during competition periods. Key contributors include circadian disruption, high training loads, pre-competition anxiety, and environmental/lifestyle factors. Assessment tools such as actigraphy and the Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) are validated and widely used. Non-pharmacological strategies, especially sleep hygiene education, sleep extension, strategic napping, CBT-I, and light exposure demonstrate positive effects on sleep duration, quality, and performance. Melatonin shows potential for managing jet lag, though evidence in athletic settings remains limited. Sedatives are rarely studied and should be used with caution. Conclusions: Sleep problems are common and impactful in elite sport. Personalized, non-pharmacological approaches should be prioritized, while further research is needed to refine and validate targeted interventions. https://apcz.umk.pl/QS/article/view/61154sleep disorderssportsathletesmelatoninchronobiology disorders |
| spellingShingle | Marcelina Guzik Zuzanna Wyleciał Patryk Dąbrowski Julia Ząber Monitoring and Improving Sleep Quality in Professional Athletes Quality in Sport sleep disorders sports athletes melatonin chronobiology disorders |
| title | Monitoring and Improving Sleep Quality in Professional Athletes |
| title_full | Monitoring and Improving Sleep Quality in Professional Athletes |
| title_fullStr | Monitoring and Improving Sleep Quality in Professional Athletes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Monitoring and Improving Sleep Quality in Professional Athletes |
| title_short | Monitoring and Improving Sleep Quality in Professional Athletes |
| title_sort | monitoring and improving sleep quality in professional athletes |
| topic | sleep disorders sports athletes melatonin chronobiology disorders |
| url | https://apcz.umk.pl/QS/article/view/61154 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marcelinaguzik monitoringandimprovingsleepqualityinprofessionalathletes AT zuzannawyleciał monitoringandimprovingsleepqualityinprofessionalathletes AT patrykdabrowski monitoringandimprovingsleepqualityinprofessionalathletes AT juliazaber monitoringandimprovingsleepqualityinprofessionalathletes |