Restoring the Athlete: The Role of Sleep in Athletic Performance and Recovery

Abstract

Background: Sleep is a fundamental biological process influencing recovery, performance, and psychological well-being in athletes. Despite growing recognition of its importance, sleep duration and quality often remain suboptimal across professional and amateur sporting populations.

Aim: This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on the role of sleep in athletic recovery and performance, methods of assessment, and strategies to optimize sleep in competitive settings.

Material and methods: Literature was identified through PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science searches (2015–2025) and evaluated following SANRA criteria.

Results:  Evidence supports that both objective (polysomnography, actigraphy) and subjective (questionnaires, diaries) assessments can identify sleep disturbances and guide interventions such as sleep hygiene education, sleep extension, strategic napping, mindfulness, and management of travel fatigue and caffeine intake.

Conclusions: Although improvements in sleep duration and efficiency translate into measurable cognitive and physical benefits, inter-individual variability, gender differences, and methodological limitations persist. Future work should standardize sleep assessment, expand inclusion of female and youth athletes, and integrate sleep management into individualized recovery programs.