Performance Science Lab
Sleep lab
Sleep affects recovery, alertness, and training quality. Start with routines you can repeat and judge trends over time.
Start here
- • Fix the obvious first: consistent wake time, light exposure early, and a realistic bedtime.
- • Treat sleep as training load: travel, heat, and late hard sessions all change the dose you can recover from.
- • Measure trend, not single nights: 7–14 day averages beat panic after one bad sleep.
Topic guides
Practical starting points to test conservatively.
Outcomes this affects
Study library (reference)
Individual studies for deeper reading.
Sleep extension in athletes: what we know so far - A systematic review.
PMID 33352457 (2021): sleep extension — Sleep quality, Recovery speed (study note for endurance athletes).
The Impact of Sleep Duration on Performance Among Competitive Athletes: A Systematic Literature Review.
PMID 29944513 (2020): circadian — Sleep quality, Recovery speed (study note for endurance athletes).
Sleep Interventions Designed to Improve Athletic Performance and Recovery: A Systematic Review of Current Approaches.
PMID 29352373 (2018): sleep extension, nap — Sleep quality, Recovery speed (study note for endurance athletes).
Global burden of enteric infectious diseases, diarrhoeal diseases, and corresponding aetiologies, 1990-2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023.
PMID 42229499 (2026): global, burden — Sleep quality, Recovery speed (study note for endurance athletes).
Acute Effects of Sleep Extension on Fatigue, Inhibitory Control, Short-Term Vigilance and Neuromuscular Function in Youth Elite Ice Hockey Players: A Randomised Crossover Trial.
PMID 41431161 (2026): sleep extension — Sleep quality, Recovery speed (study note for endurance athletes).
The impact of a 40-min nap on neuromuscular fatigue profile and recovery following the 5-m shuttle run test.
PMID 37803885 (2024): nap, napping — Sleep quality, Recovery speed (study note for endurance athletes).
Effects of sleep extension on cognitive/motor performance and motivation in military tactical athletes.
PMID 31096123 (2019): sleep extension — Sleep quality, Recovery speed (study note for endurance athletes).
The effect of acute sleep extension vs active recovery on post exercise recovery kinetics in rugby union players.
PMID 35980956 (2022): sleep extension — Sleep quality, Recovery speed (study note for endurance athletes).
Protocol for a randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of sleep extension on body weight and learning in children (More2Sleep).
PMID 42199500 (2026): sleep extension — Sleep quality, Recovery speed (study note for endurance athletes).
Single-Night Sleep Extension Enhances Morning Physical and Cognitive Performance Across Time of Day in Physically Active University Students: A Randomized Crossover Study.
PMID 40868825 (2025): sleep extension, circadian — Sleep quality, Recovery speed (study note for endurance athletes).
A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of the Archena Infancia Saludable Project on 24-h Movement Behaviors and Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet among Schoolchildren: A Pilot Study Protocol.
PMID 37189987 (2023): cluster, controlled — Sleep quality, Recovery speed (study note for endurance athletes).
Sleep Extension before Sleep Loss: Effects on Performance and Neuromuscular Function.
PMID 27015382 (2016): sleep extension, sleep deprivation — Sleep quality, Recovery speed (study note for endurance athletes).
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Sources
- Sleep extension in athletes: what we know so far - A systematic review.
- The Impact of Sleep Duration on Performance Among Competitive Athletes: A Systematic Literature Review.
- Sleep Interventions Designed to Improve Athletic Performance and Recovery: A Systematic Review of Current Approaches.
- Global burden of enteric infectious diseases, diarrhoeal diseases, and corresponding aetiologies, 1990-2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023.
- Acute Effects of Sleep Extension on Fatigue, Inhibitory Control, Short-Term Vigilance and Neuromuscular Function in Youth Elite Ice Hockey Players: A Randomised Crossover Trial.
- The impact of a 40-min nap on neuromuscular fatigue profile and recovery following the 5-m shuttle run test.
- Effects of sleep extension on cognitive/motor performance and motivation in military tactical athletes.
- The effect of acute sleep extension vs active recovery on post exercise recovery kinetics in rugby union players.