Effects of Nutrition and Sleep on Sports Performance in Young Adults

Dear Colleagues,

Optimal sports performance in young adults is underpinned by the dynamic and interdependent roles of nutrition and sleep, two modifiable behaviors that exert profound influences on physiological adaptation, recovery, and long-term athlete development. Young adulthood represents a critical transitional period characterized by high training demands, academic and occupational stressors, and irregular lifestyle patterns that can compromise dietary quality and sleep duration. Emerging evidence indicates that inadequate energy intake, suboptimal macronutrient distribution, micronutrient insufficiencies, and poor hydration practices can impair training adaptations, immune function, and injury resilience. Concurrently, insufficient or poor-quality sleep disrupts endocrine regulation, autonomic balance, and neurocognitive function, with downstream consequences for recovery, decision-making, and performance consistency.

Importantly, nutrition and sleep do not operate in isolation. Dietary behaviors influence sleep architecture and circadian alignment, while sleep loss alters appetite regulation, food choice, and metabolic efficiency. These bidirectional interactions are particularly relevant for young adults engaged in competitive sport, where marginal deficits may accumulate to meaningfully impair performance outcomes. Despite growing interest, the literature remains fragmented, with limited integrative research examining how nutrition and sleep jointly influence sport-specific performance, recovery, and health in this population.

This Special Issue aims to synthesize current evidence, highlight mechanistic pathways, and identify critical gaps in knowledge related to nutrition–sleep interactions and athletic performance in young adults. Collectively, these contributions are intended to inform evidence-based strategies for practitioners, coaches, and researchers seeking to optimize performance and well-being in this population.

Dr. Andrew Jagim
Guest Editor

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