Optimising athlete travel for performance 🛩️🌎
10 key strategies.
Optimizing Athlete Travel for Performance: A Scientific Blueprint for Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Medicine Staff
Study Details
This new review summarised the available evidence to recommend science-based strategies to manage travel in athletes 🔍
Here are the 10 key strategies ⬇️
Key Findings
Bright Light Exposure ☀️
⏰ After arrival:
➡️ Biological morning for eastward travel
⬅️ Late biological afternoon/evening for westward travel
💡 Spend 30–180 minutes in natural daylight
💡 Use a light box if needed
🕶️ Avoid sunglasses during planned light exposure
📱 Use apps such as Timeshifter for personalised light exposure recommendations
Light Avoidance 🌙
⏰ After arrival:
➡️ Biological afternoon/evening for eastward travel
⬅️ Biological morning for westward travel
😎 Use blue-light blocking glasses
😴 Wear an eye mask
🏠 Stay indoors during inappropriate light windows
💡 Dim indoor lighting when required
Melatonin Supplementation 💊
⏰ 30–60 minutes before local bedtime for the first 2–5 nights
💊 Use 2–5 mg immediate-release melatonin
🌑 Take in a dimly lit environment
⬇️ Start with a lower dose if sensitive
🚫 Avoid daytime use
Strategic Napping 😴
⏰ During travel and the first few days after arrival (early afternoon)
😴 Keep naps to 20–30 minutes
🚫 Avoid evening naps
🎧 Use earplugs and eye masks if needed
⏱️ Consider a longer nap (~90 min) only if extremely fatigued
Caffeine Use ☕
⏰ Morning to early afternoon at your destination
☕ Use ~100–200 mg to improve alertness
🏃 Consider 3–6 mg/kg ~60 minutes pre-competition if appropriate
🧪 Trial competition caffeine strategies in training first
🌙 Avoid caffeine within ~8–10 hours of bedtime
🫖 Tea or caffeine gum can be useful alternatives
Sleep Hygiene 🛌
⏰ Night before travel, during travel, and every night after arrival
🌡️ Keep the room cool
🌑 Create a dark sleeping environment
🔇 Minimise noise where possible
🎧 Use earplugs and eye masks
📵 Limit screen exposure before bed
🍽️ Avoid large meals within 2–3 hours of bedtime
🔁 Maintain a consistent bedtime routine
Gradual Time Shift ⌚
⏰ Begin 3–7 days before travel
⏰ Shift sleep and wake times by 30–60 minutes per day toward destination time
🍽️ Gradually align meal times with the destination
😴 Prioritise adequate sleep throughout the adjustment period
Sleep Banking 💤
⏰ Begin 3–5 days before travel
🛌 Aim for 8–9+ hours of sleep per night
😴 Add naps if needed
🛡️ Build a sleep reserve before expected travel-related sleep loss
Exercise Timing 🏃
⏰ After arrival:
➡️ Biological morning for eastward travel
⬅️ Late biological afternoon/evening for westward travel
🚶 Prioritise light-to-moderate exercise such as walking or easy jogging
🏋️ Avoid intense exercise within 2–3 hours of bedtime
Meal Timing & Nutrition 🍽️
⏰ During and after travel
🍽️ Transition to local meal times as soon as possible
🥪 Choose light, easily digested foods
💧 Prioritise hydration
🚫 Limit caffeine and high-sugar foods close to bedtime
Reference
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-026-02455-y
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