|
This academic review titled “Nutrition Strategies to Promote Sleep in Elite Athletes: A Scoping Review,” authored by Gavin Rackard and colleagues.
🔗 Link to today’s paper Nutrition Strategies to Promote Sleep in Elite Athletes: A Scoping Review
5 Simple Food Hacks Athletes Use for Superior Sleep Even the most disciplined athletes on the planet are struggling to sleep, and it’s sabotaging their performance. For the world’s elite, sleep isn’t a luxury; it’s a critical component of recovery. Yet, there’s a significant gap between what they need and what they get. Research shows that while top athletes require an average of 8.3 hours of sleep per night, they often manage only 6.7 hours. This deficit can directly harm muscle repair, hormonal balance, and cognitive function, ultimately undermining their competitive edge. While many turn to high-tech gadgets or pharmaceuticals, a growing body of scientific evidence suggests a more accessible solution might be waiting in the kitchen. The key to unlocking better rest and faster recovery could lie in simple, strategic nutritional choices made before bedtime. This article dives into the key takeaways from a recent scientific review on nutrition and sleep for elite athletes. We’ll reveal surprising, evidence-backed food strategies that can help you optimize your rest, improve your recovery, and elevate your performance—no complex protocols or expensive supplements required. Eat Two Kiwis Before Bed One of the most compelling findings from the review is also one of the simplest: eating two kiwifruits one hour before bed. A study focusing on elite athletes who followed this protocol for four weeks found significant, measurable improvements in their sleep. The specific positive outcomes included:
This takeaway is particularly powerful because it demonstrates how a simple, natural, and widely available food can produce such a profound impact on multiple aspects of sleep. More Protein Isn’t Always the Answer It’s a common belief in the athletic world that a protein shake before bed is a non-negotiable part of the recovery process. However, the science reveals a more nuanced picture. For athletes who already consume a high-protein diet, adding more right before sleep might not provide any extra sleep benefits. This is due to a “ceiling effect.” The review found that for athletes consuming more than 2.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass, extra protein supplements like whey or casein showed no significant improvement in sleep quality. The proposed biological reason is fascinating: tryptophan, a sleep-promoting amino acid found in protein, must compete with other amino acids to cross the blood-brain barrier. In a very high-protein environment, it can lose this race. In essence, when tryptophan can’t get to the brain, the brain can’t use it to produce the sleep-inducing chemicals serotonin and melatonin. The takeaway is clear: while getting enough protein is absolutely crucial for muscle repair, simply loading up on more before bed is not a guaranteed sleep hack for athletes who already have high-protein diets. Try a Tart Cherry Juice Another fruit-based intervention showing real promise is tart cherry juice. In a study on elite female hockey players, consuming 30mL of tart cherry juice five times over a 48-hour period led to marked improvements in sleep. The specific benefits observed in the study were:
Interestingly, while sleep quality improved, the study found no significant changes in the athletes’ melatonin or cortisol levels, suggesting the benefits might come from other mechanisms, like the juice’s antioxidant properties. While these results are encouraging, it’s worth noting that the dosing schedule in the study was quite frequent. This highlights that tart cherry juice is a promising tool, but more research is needed to determine the most practical and effective protocol for athletes to use consistently. Rethink Your Pre-Bed Carbs The idea that a large, high-carbohydrate meal before bed can help you drift off is a popular one. However, when it comes to elite athletes, the evidence is surprisingly conflicting and uncertain. In fact, some studies point to a potential downside. Research included in the review found that higher carbohydrate and sugar intake before bed was sometimes associated with negative outcomes, including waking up more frequently and experiencing lower sleep efficiency. Instead of focusing on loading up with carbs right before bed, the more reliable strategy is to prioritize meeting your overall daily energy needs with a well-planned, nutrient-dense diet. Ensuring your body is properly fueled throughout the day appears to be more important for sleep quality than a last-minute carb-heavy meal. For Women, Milk Might Make a Difference Perhaps one of the most intriguing findings comes from a study of 679 elite Japanese athletes, which revealed a distinct difference between sexes. For female athletes, more frequent milk consumption (5-7 times per week) was significantly associated with better subjective sleep quality. Crucially, this same link was not found in their male counterparts. This highlights an important concept in performance nutrition: strategies can have different effects based on sex. What works as a sleep aid for one group of athletes may not work for another, underscoring the need for personalized approaches. A Final Thought Optimizing nutrition for performance doesn’t stop when the sun goes down. As this review shows, what you eat in the evening can have a direct and measurable impact on your recovery. While foundational nutrition—meeting your daily energy and nutrient needs—remains the top priority, specific and simple food-based strategies like eating kiwifruit or drinking tart cherry juice show high potential as natural tools to provide a significant edge. Ultimately, treating sleep as a key pillar of training, one that can be supported through diet, is a critical and often overlooked component of reaching peak athletic performance. |
