#65 - Sleep & Athletes with Dr. Michael Grandner pt.2

Travel Impact

Athletes face unique sleep challenges due to their demanding schedules and frequent travel. Matthew Walker and Dr. Michael Grandner discuss how early morning training sessions, late-night competitions, and constant travel across time zones disrupt athletes' sleep patterns 1. Travel fatigue, even without significant time zone changes, adds to the stress and impacts performance 2.

Traveling constantly is hard. And even if you're not shifting lots of time zones, it's just stressful. And you don't perform as well after you've been away for a while without the chance to recover.

--- Dr. Michael Grandner

They highlight the importance of addressing these issues to help athletes maintain optimal performance.

   

Sleep Disorders

Insomnia and other sleep disorders are prevalent among athletes, exacerbated by their rigorous schedules and performance pressures. Dr. Michael Grandner explains that athletes, like many people, struggle with early mornings, late nights, and the stress of constant travel 3. He emphasizes that societal attitudes towards sleep as unproductive time contribute to these challenges.

We live in a society that sees sleep as an unproductive use of time. And there's nothing more unamerican than an unproductive use of time.

--- Dr. Michael Grandner

Athletes serve as a model system for studying sleep health, facing similar struggles to the general population but in a more intense environment.