Evidence Review
Athlete Travel & Circadian Science
How long-haul travel and jet lag disrupt sleep, recovery, and performance — and what the evidence says about minimizing it.
How long-haul travel and jet lag disrupt sleep, recovery, and performance — and what the evidence says about minimizing it.
Modern athletes cross time zones constantly, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup — spread across the USA, Canada, and Mexico with host cities thousands of kilometers apart — has put athlete travel squarely in the spotlight. Crossing multiple time zones desynchronizes the body’s internal clock from local time, producing jet lag and travel fatigue that can degrade sleep, reaction time, and recovery while raising illness and injury risk. The HERO Lab’s work focuses on turning the science of circadian biology into practical, individualized strategies athletes and staff can actually use.
New · Sports Medicine 2026: HERO Lab investigators co-authored “Optimizing Athlete Travel for Performance”, selected for Sports Medicine’s curated 2026 FIFA World Cup collection.
The travel blueprint maps the domains through which crossing time zones can erode athletic performance.
Source articles retrieved from PubMed. The HERO Lab’s own review is marked.
Hatamiya N, Holmes KE, Grosicki GJ, Swisher J, Duffaut C, Vail J, Donohoe B, … Goldman JT. — HERO Lab × WHOOP team publication
A narrative review providing a practical framework for minimizing the performance cost of long-haul travel and circadian misalignment — covering light-exposure timing, hydration and fueling, travel-time selection, supplements, sleep consistency, and how heat and altitude interact with travel. Selected for the journal’s curated collection on competing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
View in Sports MedicineJanse van Rensburg DC, Jansen van Rensburg A, Fowler PM, et al.
A 26-expert consensus panel synthesized the evidence on travel fatigue and jet lag in sport, defining key circadian terminology and providing practical “travel toolboxes” of pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight strategies. A foundational reference for managing time-zone travel in athletes.
View on PubMed DOIVitale KC, Owens R, Hopkins SR, Malhotra A.
Reviews how sleep deprivation degrades reaction time, accuracy, strength, endurance, and decision-making in athletes — and how sleep extension and good sleep hygiene improve them. Directly relevant to protecting sleep during and after travel.
View on PubMed DOISoligard T, Schwellnus M, Alonso JM, et al.
The IOC expert consensus on athletic load explicitly includes travel and competition-calendar congestion as load factors that raise injury risk — framing why travel management belongs in any athlete health and performance plan.
View on PubMed DOILiterature identified via PubMed. This page is an educational summary and does not constitute medical advice.
UCLA varsity athletes can join an active study, and researchers or partners can collaborate with the HERO Lab.