Now that Stanford Athletics has joined the ACC this year, here’s what you need to know about the impact this change could unfortunately have on student-athletes’ performance and sleep! 🛌💤 This athletic conference shift means student-athletes will be required to face regular cross-country travel. This travel across multiple time zones results in circadian misalignment—which can impair sleep quality, physical performance, mental focus, recovery and even academic success. With multi-day trips, student-athletes will battle constant jet lag leading to potentially poor sleep, slower reaction times, and added stress on their bodies and minds. Importantly, for Stanford, eastward travel to compete will be more challenging on the body clock and especially for peak performance on the field. To give athletes the best chance of being at their best, I recommend extending sleep the days before travel and implementing adaptation strategies targeted towards specific game/competition times! It’s n...