Why Olympic Swimmer Kaylee McKeown Is in Bed by 8pm

Because her training leaves no room to cut sleep short. Olympic backstroker Kaylee McKeown told Nine in August 2026 that she and her partner are in bed around 8pm and asleep by 8:30 or 9pm at the latest, ahead of a 5:30am alarm. Her own verdict: "I think it's the best thing for my body and what I do for my job." That is one athlete's routine, not a rule for everyone, but the research on athletes and sleep gives it solid backing. It also holds lessons for anyone sleeping in a warm place like Singapore.

What does McKeown's sleep routine actually look like?

McKeown is 25 and widely described as one of the best female backstrokers of all time, with nine Olympic medals. Her week includes nine swim sessions, with only Saturday afternoons and Sundays free and about two weeks off a year. She told Nine, "I feel like I've gone back to being a 14-year-old on a school night."

Counting from her stated times, falling asleep between 8:30 and 9pm and waking at 5:30am leaves roughly 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep opportunity. That is arithmetic from her quotes, not a measured sleep figure, and she has not published sleep tracking data.

She also named the small things she relies on. She has slept with a blanket since she was a little kid ("This is so embarrassing," she said), and she wears Loop earplugs she says she can no longer go without. She considered mouth taping but decided it was "too much" on top of earplugs, nose strips and sometimes an eye mask.

What does research say about sleep and athletes?

Two lines of evidence stand out.

• Longer sleep helped one team's performance. In a Stanford study of 11 men's varsity basketball players asked to spend at least 10 hours in bed per night for 5 to 7 weeks, nightly sleep rose by about 110.9 minutes. Sprint time improved from 16.2 to 15.5 seconds, and free throw and three-point accuracy each rose by roughly 9%. The group was small and had no control group, so treat it as a promising signal.
• Many elite athletes sleep too little. A 2021 expert consensus in the British Journal of Sports Medicine notes that elite athletes are especially prone to habitual short sleep, under 7 hours a night, and to fragmented sleep. It also says one fixed target, such as 7 to 9 hours, is unlikely to be ideal for everyone, and recommends an approach based on the individual athlete's own needs.

For the general adult population, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society consensus recommends at least 7 hours of sleep regularly. McKeown's schedule sits above that line because her training load is far above average.

What about the earplugs and the mouth tape?

Earplugs are a personal comfort choice. No headline study is needed to say that if noise wakes you, blocking it is reasonable, though earplugs can make it harder to hear alarms or a child, so check that suits your home.

Mouth taping is different because it has a safety angle. A 2025 systematic review in PLOS One found only 10 studies with 213 patients in total. Two showed statistically significant improvement in sleep apnea markers, while others found no difference and flagged possible risks such as asphyxiation when the nose is blocked. The authors concluded the data does not support mouth taping as a sound clinical intervention for the general population with sleep-disordered breathing. McKeown skipping it looks like the cautious call.

What can you borrow from her routine?

You do not need an 8pm bedtime. You can borrow the principle that your sleep schedule should match your real workload.

• Work back from your wake time. If you must be up at 5:30am, count back 8 hours and add time to fall asleep.
• Pick a few tools that remove friction, such as earplugs or a mask, rather than stacking every trend at once.
• Keep the bedroom comfortable. In a hot, humid city like Singapore, a warm bed can undo an early bedtime. A cooling weighted blanket with breathable fabric is one option if you like deep pressure but run hot, and the specifications page explains how NightFury's design handles heat. A weighted blanket also suits some people better than others, so try it for a few nights.
• Allow for off days. McKeown pulled out of the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships this year after glandular fever, a reminder that rest includes recovery from illness, not only a bedtime.

What are the limits of this story?

This is a single interview in a lifestyle piece published around her new Under Armour partnership, so it is a self-reported snapshot. It shows nothing about her actual hours slept, and nothing here suggests she endorses any bedding product. The research above covers athletes and small groups, not everyone. If you struggle to sleep for weeks, speak with a clinician.

Sources

1. Preston K. "Bed at 8, up at 5.30: Kaylee McKeown's daily routine, and the sleep trend she'll never take up." Nine.com.au (Lifestyle), 26 Aug 2026 (updated 30 Aug 2026): https://www.nine.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellness/kaylee-mckeown-daily-routine-olympic-swimmer-training-eating-sleep-habits-20260826-p60rss.html
2. Mah CD, Mah KE, Kezirian EJ, Dement WC. "The effects of sleep extension on the athletic performance of collegiate basketball players." Sleep 34(7):943-950, 2011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5665/SLEEP.1132 (PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21731144/)
3. Walsh NP, Halson SL, Sargent C, et al. "Sleep and the athlete: narrative review and 2021 expert consensus recommendations." British Journal of Sports Medicine 55:356-368, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-102025 (PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33144349/)
4. Watson NF, Badr MS, Belenky G, et al. "Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: A Joint Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society." Sleep 38(6):843-844, 2015: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4434546/
5. Rhee J, Iansavitchene A, Mannala S, Graham ME, Rotenberg B. "Breaking social media fads and uncovering the safety and efficacy of mouth taping in patients with mouth breathing, sleep disordered breathing, or obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review." PLOS One 20:e0323643, 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323643 (PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40397877/)