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.