Optimizing Athlete Travel for Performance: A Scientific Blueprint for Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Medicine Staff

May 26, 2026Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)

Improving Athlete Travel to Support Better Performance for Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Medicine Teams

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Circadian Biology on OpenScience ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Abstract

Long-haul travel may significantly affect athletes' recovery and performance due to circadian misalignment and jet lag.

Common travel-related issues include jet lag, travel fatigue, and sleep disturbances.
Strategies for adapting to new timezones may involve managing light exposure and ensuring proper hydration and fueling.
Determining appropriate travel times and maintaining sleep consistency could help mitigate the effects of travel.
Other environmental factors, such as heat and altitude, may also impact athletes during travel.
A practical framework for athletes, coaches, and sports medicine staff may enhance recovery and performance amid travel challenges.

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Travel is an integral component of modern sports, with athletes frequently crossing timezones for competition. This travel introduces challenges that can impact both recovery and athletic performance. As more athletes and teams travel for competition, it is increasingly important to understand ways to mitigate common travel-related issues such as jet lag, travel fatigue, and sleep disturbances. Specific strategies to adapt to new timezones including managing light exposure, ensuring proper hydration and fueling, determining appropriate travel times, utilizing supplements and maintaining sleep consistency should be addressed. Additional considerations include the potential impact of other environmental factors, such as adapting to heat or altitude, when combined with traveling. In this narrative review, we focus on long-haul travel, where circadian misalignment and jet lag are most pronounced, and provide a scientific blueprint of how to minimize the impacts of travel on athletes with the goal of helping athletes, coaches, and sports medicine staff to develop a practical framework to enhance recovery and athletic performance amidst travel-related obstacles.

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Optimizing Athlete Travel for Performance: A Scientific Blueprint for Athletes, Coaches, and Sports Medicine Staff

Abstract

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You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

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Recent issues from the circadian biology brief