30 Seconds SummaryResearch Spotlight: If you don’t snooze, you lose
- Sleep significantly affects not just daily life but also fitness and athletic performance, making it a critical health behavior.
- Multiple studies and a recent meta-analysis have shown that sleep interventions can enhance performance, mood, and subjective sleep quality in athletes.
- Types of interventions include sleep hygiene education, sleep extension, and assisted sleep technologies, among others.
- While sleep interventions did improve elements like sleep quality and mood, they did not significantly alter sleep duration or directly impact aerobic and anaerobic performance.
- The positive outcomes of improving sleep are comparable with some high-efficacy dietary supplements, showing significant potential benefits for both athletes and general fitness enthusiasts.
- Improving sleep quality or duration can benefit those with 'fine' sleep, adding modest improvements to fitness performance and cognitive function.
- The study advocates prioritizing sleep as a feasible, low-cost intervention that can often be overlooked in the fitness industry.
Stronger By Science
Eric Trexler
