Sleep and the Athlete

摘要

Adequate sleep hygiene is increasingly recognized as a crucial part of athlete recovery, avoidance of overtraining or burnout, and optimization of health. Sleep impacts metabolic regulation and homeostasis and serves a vital restorative function (1). Sleep regulation occurs through an intrinsic sleep-wake cycle of optimal duration, coupled with a circadian rhythm that is influenced by environmental exposures, such as light and darkness. Other factors that affect sleep include exercise, diet/nutrition, supplements/stimulants, medications, travel, social/electronic media, and mental/physical health (2-4). In general, exercise favorably affects sleep quality and quantity (5).