How Important Is Sleep For Athletes

Across the world of elite sport, athletes push their bodies to the limit, but many are overlooking one of the most powerful performance tools they already have and that is sleep. Research conducted by experts at CQ University has found that most elite athletes aren’t getting anywhere near enough rest which may be holding them back more than they realise.

Image: image: Shutterstock PeopleImages

Produced By: Thomas Koutis

Featured In Story: Charli Sargent – Professor from The Sleep Lab in the Appleton Institute for Behavioural Sciences, CQ University in Adelaide

First aired on The Wire, Wednesday 4 February 2026