A student-athlete’s schedule works best when Sleep goes on My BodyClock first: 7 to 9 hours, the National Sleep Foundation’s range for young adults, at steady times. Then fit class, practice, meals and study around it. In a 2011 Stanford study, basketball players who extended their sleep sprinted faster and raised free-throw percentage by 9%.

Key takeaways

  • The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7 to 9 hours of sleep for young adults and 8 to 10 hours for teenagers (Sleep Health, 2015).
  • In a Stanford questionnaire of 628 varsity athletes, 39.1% regularly slept under 7 hours on weekdays (Sleep Health, 2018).
  • Ohio State’s wearable data on 359 athletes linked practices starting at or before 8 AM with about 30 minutes less sleep for men and about 20 minutes less for women than later-morning practices.
  • In Owaves’ survey of 400 college athletes, 37% reported a fatigue-related injury, illness or significant performance setback in the past season.

How much sleep do student-athletes need?

Most college athletes need 7 to 9 hours a night, and teenage athletes 8 to 10: the National Sleep Foundation’s ranges, set by an 18-member expert panel in 2015 (Hirshkowitz et al., Sleep Health).

Many athletes fall short. When Cheri Mah and colleagues surveyed 628 athletes across 29 varsity teams at Stanford, 42.4% had poor sleep quality on a standard questionnaire, 39.1% regularly slept under 7 hours on weekdays and 51% reported high daytime sleepiness (Sleep Health, 2018).

Does more sleep improve athletic performance?

In one small Stanford study, yes. Eleven players on the men’s varsity basketball team kept their usual schedule for 2 to 4 weeks, then spent 5 to 7 weeks aiming for at least 10 hours in bed a night. They slept about 111 minutes more per night and their timed sprint dropped from 16.2 to 15.5 seconds. Free-throw percentage increased by 9% (from 7.9 to 8.8 makes out of 10) and 3-point percentage by 9.2% (Mah et al., Sleep, 2011).

It was 11 athletes with no separate control group, so read it as a signal, not proof. In a survey of 112 middle- and high-school athletes, those sleeping under 8 hours a night were 1.7 times as likely to have had an injury (Milewski et al., Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, 2014). That is an association in younger athletes, not proof of cause.

Do early-morning practices cost athletes sleep?

They are linked with less of it. Ohio State researchers analyzed 27,576 nights of wearable-ring sleep data from 359 athletes on 15 varsity teams. Before practices starting at or before 8 AM, total sleep was shorter and athletes took longer to fall asleep than before later-morning practices (Vatne et al., Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2025).

Per Ohio State News, men averaged 6 hours 20 minutes before early practices against 6 hours 50 minutes before later-morning ones; women about 7 hours against 7 hours 17 minutes. You rarely choose practice times, so the lever is bedtime: on an early-lift day, move Sleep earlier rather than shortening it.

What does the NCAA recommend for athlete sleep?

The NCAA’s Interassociation Task Force on Sleep and Wellness published five consensus recommendations in 2019, aimed at athletic departments rather than individual athletes (Kroshus et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine). Per a University of Pittsburgh summary, they include an annual time-demands survey, sleep screening in the pre-participation exam, and sleep education for both athletes and coaches.

What did Owaves’ survey of college athletes find?

In The BodyClock Report: Athlete Edition, Owaves surveyed 1,000 US college students, 400 of them varsity, club or intramural athletes. 37% of the athletes said they had a fatigue-related injury, illness or significant performance setback in the past season, even though 67% used a tracker (Owaves). Athletes who correctly understood their circadian rhythm and structured their day around it reported 21% fewer setbacks per season. It is a self-reported survey, so that is an association, not proof of cause.

How should a student-athlete plan a weekday?

Anchor the day at both ends, then fit training and class between:

  1. Sleep first, the same hours each night.
  2. Classes and practice, since you don’t set those times.
  3. Meals around training, with a small pre-practice snack.
  4. Study blocks where your head is clearest.
  5. A wind-down of 30 to 45 minutes with lights low.

For a general student version, see How to Make a Daily Schedule for College. In exam weeks, keep the Sleep block where it is and borrow from evening free time: How to Plan a Midterm Day on My BodyClock walks through one, and Regular Wake Times for Midterms covers why a steady wake time matters.

How does Owaves help plan an athlete’s day?

My BodyClock shows all 24 hours as one circle, so practice, class and sleep share visible space. Per the App Store listing, the free app connects to Apple Health to compare planned and actual activities. BodyClock Plus adds daily Deep Sleep, Deep Work, Peak Fitness and Eating Windows, plus unlimited Day Plans for each day of the week, handy for practice days versus game days.

Your day on My BodyClock

Student-Athlete Schedule: How to Plan Training, Class, Sleep. My BodyClock for Friday, October 23 in Encinitas: Flow at 7 AM (Wake up and get ready); Eat at 7:30 AM (Breakfast); Move at 8 AM (Walk to campus); Work at 8:30 AM (Classes); Eat at 11:30 AM (Lunch); Work at 12:15 PM (Study hall); Relax at 1:30 PM (Quiet rest, feet up); Eat at 2 PM (Pre-practice snack); Flow at 2:30 PM (Training room and warm-up); Move at 3 PM (Team practice); Flow at 5:30 PM (Recovery and shower); Eat at 6 PM (Team dinner). Center Photo: An empty outdoor running track around a green field in bright midday light.
Your day on My BodyClock. Build it in Owaves.

The day above on My BodyClock is a weekday for a student-athlete with 8:30 AM classes and a 3 PM practice. Sleep runs 10:30 PM to 7 AM, 8.5 hours. Breakfast, a walk to campus and class fill the morning; lunch, study hall, rest and a snack lead into a 2.5-hour practice. Recovery, team dinner, homework, a call home, a little play and a wind-down close the day.

Find your Body Clock Type with the Body Clock Quiz, then download Owaves on the App Store or join the Android waitlist and build your own training week.

FAQ

How many hours of sleep should a college athlete get?

The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7 to 9 hours for young adults and 8 to 10 for teenagers. In a Stanford survey of 628 varsity athletes, 39.1% regularly slept under 7 hours on weekdays.

What is a good bedtime for a student-athlete?

Count back from the earliest wake-up of the week. With a 7 AM wake time and an 8.5-hour sleep block, lights out is 10:30 PM; an early lift means moving bedtime earlier, not shortening sleep.

Can Owaves plan around a practice schedule?

Yes. You place practice on My BodyClock like any activity. Per the App Store listing, BodyClock Plus adds Peak Fitness and Deep Sleep Windows and unlimited Day Plans for each day of the week.

Sources

  1. Hirshkowitz M, et al. “National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary.” Sleep Health, March 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2014.12.010
  2. Mah CD, et al. “Poor sleep quality and insufficient sleep of a collegiate student-athlete population.” Sleep Health, June 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2018.02.005
  3. Mah CD, et al. “The effects of sleep extension on the athletic performance of collegiate basketball players.” Sleep, July 2011. https://doi.org/10.5665/SLEEP.1132
  4. Milewski MD, et al. “Chronic lack of sleep is associated with increased sports injuries in adolescent athletes.” Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, March 2014. https://doi.org/10.1097/BPO.0000000000000151
  5. Vatne E, et al. “The impact of team practice block start times on sleep characteristics in collegiate athletes.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, November 2025. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000005206
  6. Grabmeier J. “How early morning practices affect college athletes’ sleep.” Ohio State News, 17 November 2025. https://news.osu.edu/how-early-morning-practices-affect-college-athletes-sleep/
  7. Kroshus E, et al. “Wake up call for collegiate athlete sleep.” British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2019-100590
  8. University of Pittsburgh School of Education. “Helping the Well-Being of College Athletes Through the Science of Sleep.” 2019. https://www.education.pitt.edu/helping-the-well-being-of-college-athletes-through-the-science-of-sleep/
  9. Owaves. “More Than 1 in 3 College Athletes Lost Time to Fatigue Last Season” (The BodyClock Report: Athlete Edition). owaves.com, updated 25 August 2026. https://owaves.com/body-clock-report-2026-athletes-edition/
  10. Owaves, Inc. “Owaves: My BodyClock.” Apple App Store (US), version 8.1.1, 30 September 2026. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/owaves-worlds-first-wellness/id869648628

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