Discover Magazine: Sleep deprivation has been shown to reduce cognitive functioning, decision-making skills and focus. It also increases the risk of injury and illness.
Several studies that have assessed athletes’ sleep quality prior to competitions repeatedly show that improved sleep was associated with improved performance and outcomes in both individual and team competitions.
In endurance sports specifically, sleep has been shown to have an outsized impact on performance, with poor-quality sleep leading to worse performance both because of earlier onset of perceived fatigue and exertion as well as lower levels of pre-exercise muscle glycogen levels.
