Sleeping less than 7h per night increased the risk of sports injuries by 70%

Less sleep = more pain

We all know athletes need to prioritize sleep to perform their best. But, more than a third of athletes experience sleep disturbances. In fact, athletes who compete at an international level are 84% more likely to have poor sleep quality than athletes who compete at a regional level. What’s more, recent research has uncovered an important link between insufficient sleep and elevated injury rates among athletes.

A study from 2019 followed 190 college athletes over one year, screening them for sleep issues like insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness. The researchers found that athletes with moderate to severe insomnia symptoms faced over 3 times higher risk of incident concussions compared to good sleepers. Those with excessive daytime sleepiness had almost 3 times higher concussion risk as well. Also, sleep disturbances outperformed traditional risk factors like history of prior concussions in predicting new head injuries.

But it's not just concussions - poor sleep appears to raise the risk of musculoskeletal injuries too. The amount of sleep that consistently has been found to be associated with increased risk of injury is ≤7 h of sleep, which when sustained for periods of at least 14 days has been associated with 1.7 times greater risk of musculoskeletal injury. In a survey of nearly 1000 college athletes, close to 30% reported anxiety symptoms. Athletes dealing with anxiety, depression, pain or other issues that disrupt sleep may face compounded injury risk. In this study, those screening positive for anxiety symptoms were 2.3 times more likely to have sustained an injury. Since poor sleep, mental health conditions, and injury risk appear to reinforce each other, breaking this vicious cycle is key.

The reasons behind this sleep-injury link are not fully clear, but researchers have some theories. Fatigue from lack of sleep could impair reaction time, coordination, and cognitive functions like decision-making - setting the stage for accidents and trauma. Sleep deprivation may also dysregulate inflammation, metabolism, and tissue repair processes crucial for injury recovery.

The takeaway? Make sure your athletes are prioritizing sleep quality as much as their training. Regularly screening for sleep issues, addressing any disturbances, and promoting consistent sleep/wake patterns could pay major dividends in reducing injury rates and keeping players healthy and on and off the field.

⭐️Interested in implementing the latest sleep optimization protocols using next-generation tools for your athletes? Feel free to reach out.

Image: Adobe Firefly