15 Facts & Statistics About Sleep and Sports Performance
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Michal Szlas
Michal Szlas is the founder of OTTY Sleep and a lifelong sports enthusiast who understands the critical role quality sleep plays in recovery and performance. Founding OTTY Sleep allowed him to dive deeper into innovative sleep solutions—ranging from advanced hybrid mattresses and cooling pillows to premium bedding—that can truly transform your sleep experience. With his extensive background in sports and passion for optimizing sleep, Michal is a trusted authority dedicated to helping you achieve better, more restorative sleep every night.
We all know that sleep is important for overall health, but it's even more vital for high-performing athletes.
It's not just the professionals who need to take sleep seriously, though; even recreational sportspeople can benefit from a proper sleep routine.
Sleep is essential for optimal sports performance, as it plays a crucial role in muscle recovery, energy restoration, and mental focus. During deep sleep, the body repairs tissues, strengthens the immune system, and releases growth hormones that aid in muscle development. Lack of sleep can lead to slower reaction times, decreased endurance, and impaired decision-making, all of which negatively impact athletic performance.
As specialists with an interest in providing the best possible information on sleep-related topics, we've collected some of the most important facts about sleep and sports performance.
Benefits of Sleep On Sports Performance
Extended sleep improves basketball performance. A study found that male basketball players who increased their sleep to 10 hours per night experienced faster sprint times and a 9% improvement in free-throw and three-point shooting accuracy
Increased sleep enhances tennis performance. A study involving varsity college tennis players showed that increasing sleep by about two hours per night significantly improved their athletic performance
Sleep extension benefits swimmers. Male and female swimmers who extended their sleep to 10 hours experienced faster reaction times off diving blocks, improved turn times, and increased kick strokes
Napping improves sprint performance. Research indicates that a 30-minute nap can enhance 20-meter sprint performance , increase alertness, and reduce sleepiness in athletes
Sleep extension enhances mood in athletes. Increasing sleep duration has been associated with improved mood states , including increased vigour and decreased fatigue among athletes
More sleep can potentially reduce injury risk. Students sleeping less than 8.1 hours a night were 1.7 times more likely to have had an injury than their peers who slept more than 8.1 hours
Lack of Sleep and Sport
Sleep deprivation reduces time to exhaustion. Research indicates that lack of sleep can decrease an athlete's time to exhaustion by approximately 10% , equating to about 37 seconds in elite cyclists
Sleep deprivation affects shooting accuracy. Studies of collegiate athletes show that when they don't get enough sleep, their reaction times and accuracy decrease
Negative Impact of Sports On Sleep
Elite athletes often experience sleep disturbances. Studies have found that elite athletes may have lower total sleep time and sleep efficiency compared to non-athletes
High prevalence of sleepiness among student-athletes. A study reported that 51% of student-athletes scored 10 or higher on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale , indicating significant daytime sleepiness
Elite athletes often experience insufficient sleep. Research indicates that elite athletes often sleep less than 7 hours per night , despite reporting a need for approximately 8 hours to feel rested
A significant portion of athletes report insufficient sleep. A study found that 39.1% of athletes reported getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night
Poor sleep quality is prevalent among athletes. Research indicates that 42.2% of athletes experience poor sleep quality , as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
Daytime sleepiness affects a majority of collegiate athletes. Approximately 60.9% of collegiate athletes report feeling tired or sleepy during the day at least three days per week
Sleep disturbances are reported after sporting concussion s up to 50% of the time
