SLEEP AND ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE - OVERVIEW AND IMPLICATIONS FOR SPORT PSYCHOLOGY

Sleep is generally regarded important for maintaining one's physical a nd psychological well-being. For the competitive athlete, many factors may negatively impact on his or her sleep, possibly resulting in comp romised athletic performance. These factors include alterations in die t, changes in ambient temperature and/or altitude, traveling across ti me zones, and anxiety. In this article, an attempt is made to synthesi ze the relevant knowledge with regard to sleep and athletic performanc e. Sleep and performance are highly individual specific, with many int erdependent factors influencing the expression of both variables. Reco mmendations for future research that addresses the unique demands of a thletes are presented.