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

Sleep Duration

Dr. Michael Grandner discusses the optimal sleep duration for athletes, emphasizing that while 10-11 hours may not be necessary, many athletes fall short of the recommended 7-9 hours. He notes that elite athletes, often late adolescents or young adults, may require more sleep due to increased recovery needs 1. Matthew Walker adds that athletes like LeBron James and Roger Federer report needing around 9 hours of sleep, though these figures may be exaggerated by media 2.

   

Sleep and Injury

Matthew Walker highlights the critical role of sleep in reducing injury risk for athletes, describing it as an insurance policy. He shares a study where daytime sleepiness predicted which Major League Baseball players would remain in the league 3. Dr. Grandner explains that high daytime sleepiness and insomnia severity are strong predictors of concussion risk in NCAA athletes 3.

   

Sleep and Recovery

Dr. Grandner discusses how sleep aids in physical and cognitive recovery, mentioning a study where branch chain amino acids helped rodents recover from traumatic brain injury during sleep 4. He also warns that some workout supplements, especially those containing caffeine, can negatively impact sleep quality if taken too late in the day 4.