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Comparative Study
. 2021 Apr 17;13(4):1330.
doi: 10.3390/nu13041330.

The Sleep and Recovery Practices of Athletes

Rónán Doherty  1   2   3 , Sharon M Madigan  2 , Alan Nevill  4 , Giles Warrington  5   6 , Jason G Ellis  3
Affiliations
Comparative Study

The Sleep and Recovery Practices of Athletes

Rónán Doherty et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Background: Athletes maintain a balance between stress and recovery and adopt recovery modalities that manage fatigue and enhance recovery and performance. Optimal TST is subject to individual variance. However, 7-9 h sleep is recommended for adults, while elite athletes may require more quality sleep than non-athletes.

Methods: A total of 338 (elite n = 115, 74 males and 41 females, aged 23.44 ± 4.91 years; and sub-elite n = 223, 129 males and 94 females aged 25.71 ± 6.27) athletes were recruited from a variety of team and individual sports to complete a battery of previously validated and reliable widely used questionnaires assessing sleep, recovery and nutritional practices.

Results: Poor sleep was reported by both the elite and sub-elite athlete groups (i.e., global PSQI score ≥5-elite 64% [n = 74]; sub-elite 65% [n = 146]) and there was a significant difference in sport-specific recovery practices (3.22 ± 0.90 vs. 2.91 ± 0.90; p < 0.001). Relatively high levels of fatigue (2.52 ± 1.32), stress (1.7 ± 1.31) and pain (50%, n = 169) were reported in both groups. A range of supplements were used regularly by athletes in both groups; indeed, whey (elite n = 22 and sub-elite n = 48) was the most commonly used recovery supplement in both groups. Higher alcohol consumption was observed in the sub-elite athletes (12%, n = 26) and they tended to consume more units of alcohol per drinking bout.

Conclusion: There is a need for athletes to receive individualised support and education regarding their sleep and recovery practices.

Keywords: alcohol; athletes; nutrition; recovery; sleep.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Comparison of the sport-specific recovery subscales.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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