Interestingly, there is not much research out there on how to successfully improve sleep quantity and sleep quality in athletes. The research that is available shows only (or at least) improvements in subjective sleep quality, reduced sleepiness and decreased negative affect (Gwyther et al., 2022). There is no effect identifiable on any objective sleep measures or aerobic/anaerobic performance measures.

However, while I was preparing a manuscript on Sleep Quality and Well-Being in Junior Elite Athletes together with two colleagues some time ago, I came across a study from Mah et al. from 2011. They developed an intervention to increase sleep duration in basketball players that not only extended sleep by M = 110.9 minutes (SD = 79.7 minutes). The increased sleep duration also improved shooting accuracy by 9% – in addition to faster sprint times. All of these results were highly significant. An improved shooting accuracy (free throw and 3-point field goals) of 9%! In times where athletes are looking to improve their performances by 1% or 2% to have a competitive edge over their competitors 9% is huge. Only by sleeping more!

The participants in this study were collegiate athletes who frequently travelled across time zones to compete at other universities. Nonetheless, they were able to improve their sleep quantity by simply focusing on a regular sleep-wake schedule and integrating short daytime naps. In addition, it was required that they slept alone in their bedroom, except when traveling, and refrain from alcohol and caffeine.

Wait! What? No alcohol? No caffeine? That won’t work!

Yes, it works. I believe that if an athlete (or anyone else) truly wants to improve his or her performance, it will be possible not to dring coffee and alcohol – or at least reduce it to a minimum.

If you want to learn more about how alcohol and caffeine affect our bodies and prevents us from sleeping well, you might want to dive into Why We Sleep. In this book, Matthew Walker comprehensively explains the science of sleep. He explains what sleep is, why we should sleep, how and why we dream and what sleeping pills, disorders, society and technology have to do with good (or poor) sleep. One of the most interesting parts in this book was that he explained that if we are sleeping only six hours per night for ten days straight leads to an impaired performance as if we are going without sleep for 24 hours straight (remember how much I slept the last days?! 😬🤦🏽‍♂️). Or another information: If you get up at 7am in the morning, work all day and meet with friends in the evening and drive home around 2am the next morning (without having drunk any alcohol!) you are as cognitively impaired in your ability to focus and drive safely as if you have .08 percent blood alcohol! Now also think about that Fortnite soccer player…

We all know how important sleep is. Yet, we prioritize other things over it. Watching TV. Scrolling through social media. Having a beer in the evening.

Do I say, we – and athletes – should refrain from some things that make us feel good sometimes? Absolutely not. But I think that if we – and the clients we work with – want to improve individual and team performances, we should be aware of the effects improved sleep can have. It is definitely the cheapest and easiest way to achieve improved health, well-being and performance. To write about all positive effects of sleep it would need a book or two and not a random newsletter. I highly recommend Why We Sleep – as it is summarizing research and explaining what we know about sleep so far.

…and again: 9% improved shooting accuracy – only by sleeping more…! Do athletes really need any additional arguments for changing their smartphone for their pillow?