Cheri D. Mah, MD, MS, is a sleep physician and an Adjunct Lecturer at the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center. She is regarded as a national and international expert on sleep and performance in elite athletes with unique applied experience. Her research investigates the impact of sleep on cognitive and physical performance across a wide range of sports. This work focuses on studying the benefits of sleep extension to reduce negative consequences of chronic sleep loss on daytime functioning. She has also examined circadian rhythm performance advantages in the NFL and how sleep restriction impairs athlete biomechanics.
Dr. Mah is currently a sleep expert for Nike and served on the Nike Performance Council for 9 years. She consults professional teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB as well as international sports organizations on optimal sleep, travel, and performance strategies. She has worked with the World Champion Golden State Warriors (NBA), San Francisco Giants (MLB), San Jose Sharks (NHL), Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL), Toronto Blue Jays (MLB), among other teams. In 2017, she helped the Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) win the Super Bowl. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she helped a 3x Olympian win multiple gold medals. Dr. Mah has also advised Formula F1, C-suite executives, and the US military.
Dr. Mah’s experience includes advising Supermoon Capital, the first venture fund focused exclusively on sleep health, and working with Gatorade, ESPN, Google, and various sleep technology startups. Additionally, she created the ESPN Mah Score, an NBA win-loss predictor based strictly on team schedule. Her research and work are featured in national and international media including the NY Times, ESPN, NPR, NBC Bay Area, Time, CBS, BBC, Runner’s World, National Geographic Adventure, and the Wall Street Journal.
Dr. Mah received her M.D. at the University of California San Francisco where she was a research fellow with the UCSF Human Performance Center. She is board-certified in Internal Medicine having completed Internal Medicine Residency at Kaiser San Francisco and Sleep Medicine Fellowship at the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center. She received her M.S. in Biological Sciences and her B.A.S. dual degree in Biological Sciences and Psychology graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University.
Services:
- Sleep education with practical strategies for enhancing sleep at home and while traveling.
- Individual consultation for athletes, coaches, executives, and working professionals. Designing personalized sleep plans that optimize sleep and enhance performance.
- Team-wide sleep performance programs. Integrating sleep education, sleep assessment and monitoring, and applied sleep research within existing team resources to provide sustained organizational impact.
- Evaluation and management of clinical sleep disorders including obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia.
- Services are available virtual and in-person.
Speaking Topics -
- Sleep optimization
- Sleep for peak performance
- Sleep education workshops
