Entrepreneurs and sleep: a scoping review of barriers, recovery strategies, and effects on performance

Entrepreneurs often face high demands, blurred work–life boundaries, and chronic stress, all of which put them at risk of inadequate recovery. Sleep, as a key biopsychosocial recovery process, plays a vital role in cognitive functioning, emotional regulation, and decision-making, factors essential to entrepreneurial performance. Yet, despite growing interest in entrepreneurs’ health, sleep remains an underexplored construct in this field. This scoping review aims to map the existing literature on sleep in entrepreneurship, identify how sleep is conceptualized and measured, and clarify the biological, psychological, and social mechanisms through which sleep may influence entrepreneurial outcomes. This study was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines for a scoping review. Eligible studies were published between 2000 and 2026, in English or French, and included empirical findings or theoretical discussions explicitly linking sleep and entrepreneurship. A total of 31 articles met the inclusion criteria. Data were charted to identify sleep dimensions studied (e.g. quality, duration, disturbances), research designs, populations, and outcomes. The findings of this scoping review reveal that sleep is associated with a range of entrepreneurial outcomes across four main domains: individual dispositions that may increase vulnerability to sleep problems, recovery strategies that can buffer the effects of entrepreneurial stress, the role of sleep in sustaining performance, and the impact of sleep on mental health. While sleep is increasingly recognized as central to entrepreneurial health and well-being, the literature remains fragmented. This scoping review highlights the need for a more integrative approach and consistent measurement practices to better understand and support sleep in entrepreneurs. For entrepreneurs, getting sufficient sleep is crucial in helping them meet the demands of running a business while preserving both their health and performance. This scoping review maps current knowledge about sleep in entrepreneurship. We found that existing research links sleep to entrepreneurs’ mental health, recovery from stress, and ability to sustain performance, but most studies focus on sleep quality and rely on subjective self-reports. Our review shows that sleep is not just a matter of well-being; it plays an active role in how entrepreneurs think, feel, and work. The main implication is that future research should adopt more integrated and standardized approaches to studying sleep, while health practitioners (e.g., psychologists, physicians, and sleep specialists) and entrepreneurship support programs should recognize sleep as a key resource for sustaining entrepreneurs’ health and long-term performance.