Sleep and performance in elite combat and contact athletes

Elite athletic organisations are increasingly recognising sleep as being an essential component of performance and recovery in athletes. Sleep may be negatively affected during training and competition as a result of factors such as the use of ergogenic aids including caffeine, electronic devices and the potential presence of sleep disorders, all of which can affect cognitive and physical performance. A series of studies were undertaken to investigate such issues with combat athletes from the Australian Institute of Sport and with contact athletes from an elite Super Rugby team, with the findings used to improve recovery and performance.