Sleep and performance across the lifespan. What is known about athlete requirements from children to adults and future direction: a narrative review

Abstract

Sleep is fundamental for health and wellbeing. Throughout our lifespan sleep requirements change due to alterations in our endogenous circadian rhythm and exogenous environment factors. Athletes demand for sleep is greater compared to general population and it is important to consider age specific guidelines for children, adolescents, adult and older adult athletes. However, sleep requirements in children and adolescent athletes is sparce. Further, adolescent athletes have additional stressors such as school and biological demands for sleep such as growth and maturation. Daily sleep demand and quality can be influenced by individual factors as well as the environment. Therefore, we aim to discuss the importance of sleep, the differences in sleep needs across the lifespan. We will then consider how this may be influenced by activity level and the impact of sleep on health and performance. Lastly, we provide possible interventions and future directions for research across the three age groups.