Abstract Purpose of Review Sleep is becoming widely accepted as a crucial for athletes, with potential impacts on both performance and recovery, yet despite this, sleep amongst athletes is commonly suboptimal. This review aims firstly to summarise underlying reasons why athletes commonly present with poor sleep with a view to informing subsequent interventions, and secondly, to summarise sleep hygiene and sleep extension practices to potentially offset this, with consideration for the content and delivery approach of such interventions. Recent Findings Approaches to sleep hygiene education should be individualised where possible, with a view towards a collaborate process involving both athlete and coach. Contemporary methods of sleep hygiene education, such as media messaging, may warrant further investigation within an athletic cohort. Summary Education on sleep hygiene factors may be a beneficial intervention if athletes are presenting with sub-optimal sleep according to normative values. Both sleep hygiene and sleep extension have been shown to be successful strategies in improving both sleep factors and athlete performance, yet further longitudinal studies are needed in this remit to determine optimal methods of maintaining such improvements.

Abstract Purpose of Review Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is multifactorial, and it is believed that several factors, including genetic, metabolic, bioenergetics, and environmental factors, have a role in the onset and development of this disease. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has a high prevalence in patients with AD and is considered a risk factor for the development of AD. Besides, several features, including shared comorbidities, the induction of cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration make both pathologies highly interconnected. We reviewed the existing knowledge about the possible OSA-induced brain alterations that can potentially participate in the development and progression of AD. Recent Findings Intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation have been considered as the most important OSA-induced alterations that can trigger dysregulation of multiple pathways at the cerebral tissue. Although both events can act synergistically, here we discussed the possible role of each event in development and progression of AD individually. Intermittent hypoxia has been linked to increased oxidative stress, systemic and neuroinflammation, and consequently cerebrovascular dysfunctionality. On the other hand, sleep fragmentation and deprivation can challenge memory consolidation and the brain clearance. Summary OSA-induced pathophysiological alterations in AD patients can lead to synaptic damage, neurodegeneration and increased AD-related brain pathology that will manifest by progressive cognitive impairment in this disease.

Abstract Purpose of the Review Student-athletes face unique challenges around sleep related to combining performance sport and education. This review aims to summarise the available evidence on sleep health in student-athletes, examine the upstream factors that influence sleep health and the downstream consequences that arise from suboptimal sleep health, and provide directions for future research. Recent Findings Evidence indicates that student-athletes exhibit suboptimal sleep health across multiple dimensions, such as short total sleep durations and irregular sleep timing between days. Various upstream influences, including factors related to sports, academics, and individual characteristics, underpin these observations of suboptimal sleep health. These influences have wide-reaching downstream consequences that may affect athletic performance, concussion and injury risk, academic achievement, and wellbeing. While interventions to improve sleep health have been designed and implemented, their effectiveness remains mixed, highlighting the need for targeted designs that address upstream influences that are specific to student-athletes. Summary Student-athletes present with suboptimal sleep health across multiple dimensions, which should be addressed to facilitate not only performance on the field and in the classroom, but for health and wellbeing. Future research should aim to provide a more comprehensive understanding of sleep health and the contributing factors that distinguish this population from elite athletes and student peers. Key stakeholders including coaches and academic staff should be made aware of the unique challenges around sleep faced by student-athletes to support the implementation of practical and evidence-based sleep health strategies.

Purpose of ReviewTraditional approaches fatigue management based solely on working time restrictions have, over recent decades, been displaced by risk-based fatigue management practices. Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS) reflect a risk-based approach, whereby organisations assess and manage risks directly attributable to fatigue, rather than managing fatigue itself. Ideally, risk-based fatigue management can be aligned with international standards for risk management, thus positioning fatigue as a hazard—like any other – which can be identified, mitigated and managed so as to promote worker safety.Recent FindingsThis review outlines what we consider the critical elements of a FRMS and presents key information for organisations who may be developing their own FRMS. We focus on (1) identifying and assessing fatigue-related risk within a risk-based framework, (2) promoting the idea of working safely while fatigued, and (3) addressing common challenges faced by organisations when using a FRMS.SummaryRisk-based approaches to fatigue management are increasingly common, and as such organisations need to understand both the opportunities and challenges associated with this type of system.

Little is known about how incretins interact with sleep and circadian factors, both of which influence metabolic outcomes. We review evidence that sleep, circadian rhythms, and their disturbances impact incretin secretion and discuss clinical applications for GLP-1/GIP-RA drugs in sleep medicine and areas for future research. GLP-1 secretion exhibits a circadian rhythm which may be disrupted by high-fat diet, meal timing, and gut dysbiosis. Insufficient sleep may alter the timing of postprandial GLP-1 release, and the circadian rhythm of GLP-1 secretion is blunted in patients with metabolic conditions such as obesity or diabetes. Lastly, the FDA has approved the use of tirzepatide (a GLP-1/GIP-RA drug) for treating obstructive sleep apnea. Evidence suggests that sleep and circadian rhythms impact the incretin system, although findings are somewhat mixed due to the variety of methods employed. In light of the growing interest in new clinical applications for incretin therapies, more research is needed to fully understand the relationship between sleep, circadian rhythms, and incretin secretion.

Age-related changes in the circadian timing system may play a role in the development of disorders in older age. We review key aspects of the human circadian system that change with aging, discuss recent evidence of how changes in sleep and circadian rhythms manifest in neurodegenerative diseases, and summarize research on new therapies. Several mechanisms have been proposed to underlie age-related changes in sleep and circadian rhythmicity. These mechanisms include changes in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, melatonin production, and light sensitivity as well as impaired glymphatic drainage, buildup of amyloid-beta, hypoxia from sleep-disordered breathing, and increased levels of orexin. While light-based therapies and lifestyle interventions have been under investigation for years, newer interventions include treatment with orexin antagonists and gamma stimulation to improve sleep and circadian rhythmicity. Despite growing interest, our understanding of how sleep and circadian rhythms contribute to the development of age-related neurodegenerative diseases is still limited. More research is needed to understand the bidirectional relationship between circadian rhythms, sleep, and neurodegenerative diseases to develop targeted interventions.

Purpose of ReviewIn this review we summarise relevant, replicated and exciting findings from twin studies focusing on the topic of sleep.Recent FindingsHere we report that: a) most sleep-related traits and disorders are substantially influenced by genetic factors; b) shared environmental factors do not explain a substantial proportion of the variance of sleep variables except during early in life; c) genetic and environmental influences on sleep and sleep disorders remain relatively stable from adolescence onwards; d) the relative role of genetic and environmental factors explaining individual differences for sleep quality, sleep duration and insomnia are similar for men and women; e) sleep-related variables/ sleep disorders are genetically related to major mental health traits; f) sleep quality has significant bidirectional associations with general health-related variables; and g) data from twin studies can make unique contributions to testing and progressing models and theories of insomnia (including by testing gene-environment interplay).SummaryTwin studies have invigorated sleep research during the decades and we anticipate the publication of many more important studies using these methodologies.