Skip to content

Study note

Sleep and the athlete: narrative review and 2021 expert consensus recommendations.

Updated Oct 17, 2026

Population not classified in the source recordBritish journal of sports medicine2020Read the source on PubMed

What the study found

The review recommends individualized sleep assessment and attention to training, travel and other barriers. It distinguishes the established effects of major sleep deprivation from uncertainty about short periods of partial restriction.

Participants and protocol

A narrative review and expert consensus examined athlete sleep, measurement problems and practical screening and education. It was not a trial of a fixed sleep-extension programme.

What this cannot establish

The authors identify small or poorly controlled studies, limited female representation and uncertainty in sleep measurement. The paper does not establish one ideal sleep duration or promise a performance gain from two weeks of earlier bedtimes.

Publication details
Record
PubMed 33144349
Source record checked
2026-10-18

Publication type and subject indexing describe the record; they are not a quality grade or proof of a benefit. An abstract does not replace a review of the full methods and results.

Adaptive AI coach for iPhone

Meet your adaptive AI coach.

Tell your coach what you are training for. It builds the plan, follows the work you complete, and adapts upcoming training when recovery, your schedule, or real life changes.

Keep going

Sources