Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34068512›Full record

ReviewNutrients2021

Nutritional Interventions to Improve Sleep in Team-Sport Athletes: A Narrative Review.

Madeleine Gratwicke, Kathleen H Miles, David B Pyne, Kate L Pumpa, Brad Clark

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Nutrients, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.1field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Sleep disturbances in anorexia nervosa.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Effect of Peanut Butter Intake on Sleep Health in Firefighters: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024
    Trial
  5. Trial
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Physical Exercise for Health and Performance Post-Pandemic COVID-19 Era, a Renewed Emphasis on Public Health.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Article
  17. Review
  18. Article
  19. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Madeleine GratwickeResearch Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra, Canberra 2617, Australia.
Kathleen H MilesResearch Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra, Canberra 2617, Australia.
David B PyneResearch Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra, Canberra 2617, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-1555-5079
Kate L PumpaResearch Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra, Canberra 2617, Australia.
Brad ClarkResearch Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra, Canberra 2617, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-2277-0463
University of Canberra · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Athletes often experience sleep disturbances and poor sleep as a consequence of extended travel, the timing of training and competition (i.e., early morning or evening), and muscle soreness. Nutrition plays a vital role in sports performance and recovery, and a variety of foods, beverages, and supplements purportedly have the capacity to improve sleep quality and quantity. Here, we review and discuss relevant studies regarding nutrition, foods, supplements, and beverages that may improve sleep quality and quantity. Our narrative review was supported by a semi-systematic approach to article searching, and specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, such that articles reviewed were relevant to athletes and sporting environments. Six databases-PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus, and Google Scholar-were searched for initial studies of interest from inception to November 2020. Given the paucity of sleep nutrition research in the athlete population, we expanded our inclusion criteria to include studies that reported the outcomes of nutritional interventions to improve sleep in otherwise healthy adults. Carbohydrate ingestion to improve sleep parameters is inconclusive, although high glycemic index foods appear to have small benefits. Tart cherry juice can promote sleep quantity, herbal supplements can enhance sleep quality, while kiwifruit and protein interventions have been shown to improve both sleep quality and quantity. Nutritional interventions are an effective way to improve sleep quality and quantity, although further research is needed to determine the appropriate dose, source, and timing in relation to training, travel, and competition requirements.

Indexed as

AthletesDietSleepAthletic PerformanceDatabases, FactualDietary CarbohydratesDietary ProteinsDietary SupplementsFruitFruit and Vegetable JuicesHumansMyalgiaObservational Studies as TopicRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicDietary CarbohydratesDietary Proteinsathletesmacronutrientsrecoverysleepsupplementsteam-sport

Identifiers

PMID34068512
PMCPMC8150598
OpenAlexW3160288542

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.