Nutrition–Sleep Interactions in Sports and Exercise: Timing, Recovery, and Adaptation
A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Sports Nutrition".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 October 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: sleep; carbohydrate intake; chrono-nutrition; meal timing; exercise timing; circadian rhythm; body composition; athletic performance; sleep quality
Interests: sleep; chrono-nutrition; meal timing; circadian rhythm; exercise timing; adolescents; obesity; energy balance; eucaloric diet; athletes; sleep quality; actigraphy; time-restricted eating; intermittent fasting; chronotype
Interests: sleep; exercise, fitness and health; sleep disorders; hemodialysis; exercise and nutrition in chronic diseases; lifestyle medicine; exercise physiology; recovery strategies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Sleep is a central determinant of athlete health, recovery, and performance, and nutrition modulates sleep and circadian biology in actionable ways. For this Special Issue, we invite original research and reviews examining the bidirectional links between dietary patterns and timing (chrono-nutrition) and sleep outcomes in sport. We welcome trials and field studies that test the effects of macronutrient composition and within-day timing, hydration and supplement strategies (e.g., caffeine, tryptophan-rich foods), and feeding–fasting windows on sleep duration, quality, macro- and micro-architecture, circadian alignment, and next-day performance and recovery. Equally, we welcome research on how sleep quantity/quality interrelates with energy availability, glycemic control, appetite regulation, injury risk, and training adaptation. Priority areas include but are not limited to the following: sex and age differences (e.g., female and adolescent athletes), travel and jet lag, heat/humidity, training load, intensified training, and congested schedules. Methodological papers using polysomnography, actigraphy/wearables, dietary assessment, biomarkers, and -omics are encouraged, alongside systematic reviews/meta-analyses and practitioner-focused translations. The aim of this Special Issue is to integrate mechanistical pathways with day-to-day practice, to refine evidence-based guidelines for coaches, clinicians, and sport organizations.
Dr. Angelos Vlahoyiannis
Dr. Oussama Saidi
Dr. Christoforos D. Giannaki
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- chrono-nutrition
- athletes
- sleep
- circadian rhythms
- REM sleep
- slow-wave sleep
- macronutrient timing
- energy availability
- recovery
- performance
- actigraphy
- polysomnography
- dietary supplements
- naps
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