SLEEP AND WELLNESS
FOR COLLEGIATE ATHLETES
WHY does sleep matter for collegiate athletes?
Athletic performance Poor sleep Academic performance Sleep deprivation
is associated with delayed response time, fatigue and impairs cognitive performance and is linked to lower GPA.
poor decision-making.
Mental health Inadequate sleep increases the
Injury risk and recovery Athletes who are risk for mental health symptoms and disorders, and mental
sleep deprived have an elevated risk of musculoskeletal health symptoms and disorders may reduce sleep quality
injury and delayed recovery following injuries. and quantity.
Are student-athletes getting ENOUGH sleep?
Z Z?
On average, in-season student-athletes are getting 6.27 hours
sleep nightly 1 while 8 hours of sleep are recommended.
of
Z
61% of student-athletes report daytime fatigue at least
three or more days in the past week2, while 19% of male and 23% of female
student-athletes reported difficulty sleeping at least eight of the past 30 days1.
WHAT are recommendations for restorative sleep?
1. Try to maintain a regular sleep schedule, including on 5. Consumption of excessive food and liquids at night
weekends. If this is not possible, establish a bedtime should be avoided, as these may disrupt sleep.
routine that can be practiced regularly. 6. Avoid obsessive clock watching. Often, looking at the
2. Seek bright light during the day, especially in the clock at night can increase mental activity and anxiety, and
morning, and try to avoid bright and blue light at night. make resuming sleep more difficult.
This is especially important later at night, when bright and 7. Individuals who have difficulty falling asleep should
blue light can further delay sleep onset. generally avoid naps. However, sleep-deprived
3. The bedroom should be cool (less than 68 degrees), individuals may find that short-duration napping during
dark and comfortable. the day may improve performance and functioning.
4. Caffeine (e.g., coffee, energy drinks and certain types 8. Beds should be used for sleep-related activities only.
of sodas and teas) should be avoided at least six hours Other activities such as reading and watching TV, especially
before bedtime. Nicotine is also a stimulant and should if lying awake and unable to sleep, should be done out of the
be avoided. Alcohol may reduce time to fall asleep, but it bed. Those who have difficulty falling asleep should get out
can adversely impact sleep quality and should be avoided of bed for a period of time and try again later. This practice
close to bedtime. (called stimulus control) is supported by strong evidence that it
will help prevent insomnia and improve sleep quality over time.
NCAA. NCAA GOALS Study, 2015 [data file]. Indianapolis: IN: NCAA, (2016-01-05).
1
American College Health Association. American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment,
2
Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017 [data file]. Hanover, MD: American College Health
Association [producer and distributor], (2018-11-15).
SLEEP AND WELLNESS FOR COLLEGIATE ATHLETES – 2
What can institutions do to improve collegiate athlete sleep?
1. Consider learning more about athlete time demands by conducting an anonymous annual survey.
2. Consider incorporating sleep screening into the pre-participation exam.
The Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire3 and Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire4 have been
validated for use with athletes.
3. Provide education to athletes and coaches about sleep.
One example is for a sports medicine staff member or a licensed mental health provider to facilitate a
team discussion, guided by the content on page 1 of this handout.
BARRIERS TO
STUDENT-ATHLETE SLEEP 5
Time
management
Practice
schedules
Academic
demands
Social
activities
Work
demands
These recommendations were the product of the NCAA’s Inter-
association Task Force on Sleep and Wellness. More information
about the consensus process and recommendations are provided
in this article6.
3
Samuels, C., James, L., Lawson, D., & Meeuwisse, W. (2016). The Athlete Sleep Screening
Questionnaire: a new tool for assessing and managing sleep in elite athletes. Br J Sports Med,
50(7), 418-422.
4
Driller, M. W., Mah, C. D., & Halson, S. L. (2018). Development of the athlete sleep behavior
questionnaire: a tool for identifying maladaptive sleep practices in elite athletes. Sleep
Science, 11(1), 37.
NCAA. Sport Science Institute Sleep Survey, 2017 [data file]. Indianapolis, IN: NCAA, (2017-04-28).
5
6
Kroshus, E., Wagner, J. & Wyrick, D., et al. (2019). Wake up call for collegiate athlete sleep:
narrative review and consensus recommendations form the NCAA Interassociation Task Force
on Sleep and Wellness. Br J Sports Med, 53, 731-736.
NCAA and SSI are trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
