exercise & sleep: how sleep can improve sport performance
sleep summary
Napping has been proven to enhance physical and cognitive performance.
Quality sleep aids your recovery after physical activity, allowing you to continue improving muscle mass and endurance. It has also been scientifically proven that quality sleep can enhance speed and accuracy.
You should go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time, aiming for 7-8 hours per night.
To perform in sport, you need good sleep. And to sleep better, exercise is recommended. Therefore, it’s no secret that there’s a strong connection between sport and sleep, whether you’re weekend tennis player or a professional athlete. Let’s take a look at exercise and sleep in more detail with advice on getting quality sleep as someone who exercises.
Our resident sleep expert, Kathryn Pinkham, will also touch on The World Cup 2026, and give you tips and tricks on prioritising sleep in-between extreme amounts of screen time.
how does sleep affect sport performance?
Sleep affects our performance in sport in more ways than one. Here’s an insight into the 3 most important areas:
performance
Regular exercise improves cardiovascular health, increases lean muscle mass and improves endurance - all of which require quality sleep in order to happen.
A number of studies have been carried out with results showing that increased quality sleep can improve performance, such as speed and accuracy, across a range of sports including tennis, swimming and basketball. For example, a study carried out on the Stanford University men's and women's swimming team found that athletes extending their sleep duration to 10 hours per night for 6-7 weeks resulted in faster swim times, quicker reaction times off the blocks and improved turn time.
what’s the recommended sleep duration for professional athletes?
It’s recommended that athletes prioritise getting 8-10 hours of sleep each night, with some even benefitting from 12 hours during intense training or competitions.
recovery
A bad night’s sleep doesn’t just make you feel tired, irritable and moody the next day, it has an impact on what’s happening inside your body too. The harder you have exercised, the longer it takes to recover, and sleep plays a vital role in recovery. With quality sleep aiding cells and tissues to repair while allowing your heart to rest.
deep sleep effects on muscle repair for athletes
The deep sleep stage of your cycle is vital for athletic recovery for a number of reasons. Here’s why:
Increases the release of growth hormones, which supports muscle repair and tissue growth.
Improves protein synthesis, helping muscles rebuild after training.
Reduces inflammation and supports recovery from damage caused by exercise.
Restores energy stores, including muscle glycogen.
Enhances physical performance, reaction time, and coordination the next day.
mental health
The more rested you are, the better your mind and body function, and that includes during sport too. Quality sleep improves mental health and gives you more motivation to help you stick to an exercise routine. What’s more, it leads to better concentration, mood and focus, all of which contributes to improved sport performance.
consequences of sleep deprivation on sports performance
With the above in mind, sleep deprivation or lack of sleep can drastically impact how well you perform in your chosen sport. Here’s some examples: cognitive function: Sleep deprivation reduces your ability to think clearly and react quickly, leading to poor decision making and risk-taking during sports. impact mental health: Sleep deprivation can increase depression, anxiety and irritability levels, a bad mix during any kind of sport. physical health: A lack of sleep doesn't just affect your mind, there’s also physical effects too, such as an increased risk of medical conditions including high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Lack of good quality sleep also increases the risk of a sports related injury and extended recovery time.
how does sleep affect immune function in athletes?
Sleep plays a vital role in an athlete’s immune functioning as it strengthens immune defences, reduces the risk of illness, controls inflammation, supports vaccines and medication treating infections, and helps them recover after intense training periods.
watching sport: does this impact our sleep?
We’ve spoken about the connection between undergoing exercise and sleep, but what about watching sport? We speak a lot about limiting screentime before bed, but it actually varies per person on whether that helps you relax or keeps you awake. And with The World Cup 2026 about to kick off (pardon the pun), should we be mindful with our watching habits?
Kathryn Pinkham, our resident sleep expert, is here to offer some clarity on how to prioritise sleep against late night watching, alcohol consumption and napping temptation that comes hand in hand with sports tournament watching.
watch: Kathryn Pinkham, the sleep expert, explains late night sport watching.
Kathryn gives 4 key tips for sports tournament seasons:
“Where possible, try to keep your wake up time the next morning consistent. It might feel really tempting to have a lie in, but actually, if you keep your normal routine, this will mean you should get back into your usual pattern quickly. Because if you lie in too long, you risk not being able to get to sleep the next night and your body clock will start to adjust.”
“If the match finishes close to bedtime and you don't feel tired, then you can give yourself a short buffer before you try and get to sleep. Because exciting, high adrenaline moments can leave the body feeling more alert than expected. So just take a moment to relax and wind down before bed rather than rushing at your usual time.”
“If you've had a late night, then a nap the next day can be tempting. And actually, naps are okay, as long as they’re no longer than around 20 minutes and you don't take it too late in the day.”
“If you've been drinking more alcohol than normal during the games, then remember this will impact the quality of your sleep and it can leave you feeling more tired. So, where possible, try to cut down on alcohol or perhaps have non-alcoholic drinks or longer breaks before bedtime to try and mitigate the impacts on your sleep.”
what constitutes quality sleep for athletes?
While our sleep durations vary, we, and athletes, all need to achieve different stages of sleep to make it restful and replenishing for our recovery and wellbeing.
Light sleep or Rapid Eye Movement (REM) is needed for memory consolidation.
Deep sleep or Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) is restorative sleep and where growth hormones are released, playing a part in the repair process.
tips for a good night’s sleep
We’ve covered how important sleep is for improved exercise and sports performance, and how aerobic or resistance helps to improve sleep quality, but how do we get good sleep in the first place? See below for some helpful tips.
relax before bedtime
Avoid exercising or playing any sport just before going to bed and instead, make the effort to get up early and enjoy some outdoor exercise, such as a morning walk or jog.
is it bad to exercise before sleeping?
Yes, training before bed can make it hard for you to fall and stay asleep. This is because late night exercise raises your body temperature and increases stress hormones such as cortisol, prohibiting the production of melatonin and potentially worsening any sleep problems you may have.
what time is better to workout?
To minimise excerise’s impact on your sleep, you should opt for mornings between 6am-10am, early afternoons between 12-4pm, and early evenings between 4-7pm for your workouts.
is it best to workout in the morning or night?
The morning is best as it’s the least likely to have any effect on your sleep, and it can regulate your body clock.
try to get into a routine
Go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time every morning, aiming for 7-8 hours' worth of sleep. Being consistent with these times helps to reinforce your body’s sleep-wake cycle. If you find that you’re not falling asleep within 20 minutes, leave your bedroom and find something relaxing to do like reading or listening to some soothing music, and go back to bed when you’re tired.
plan your mealtimes with sleep in mind
You also shouldn’t climb into bed feeling hungry or full. Eating at certain times helps to reinforce your body’s circadian rhythm; if you eat straight before getting into bed, your body will be busy digesting and getting energy from the food you’ve just eaten, which you don’t need when you’re sleeping.
On the other hand, you should reduce your alcohol and caffeine intake in the evening as they can wreak havoc on quality sleep. Alcohol prevents you from drifting into each sleep stage, so your sleep becomes fragmented and lighter, while caffeine blocks certain receptors in the brain, leaving you feeling awake for longer.
create a sleep-promoting environment
Creating a calm and restful bedroom environment can go a long way towards promoting a better night’s sleep. Make sure your bedroom is cool, quiet and dark - the ideal room temperature is between 16-18 degrees. A bedroom that’s cool encourages your body to drop to the core temperature required for a restful sleep. Read our article on keeping cool in bed for more information.
replace old, tired mattresses
The right mattress is important for comfort and quality sleep too, so if yours is more than 8 years old and is looking a little worse for wear, then it more than likely needs replacing. Whether you're a twist and turner, restless sleeper or just after pure luxury, there’ll be a solution in our wide collection.
Find out how to choose the perfect mattress in our handy guide.
It’s clear to see how quality sleep and exercise go hand in hand, having a positive impact on an athlete’s physical and mental health, and overall wellbeing. After all, sleep is at the core of what everyone needs to feel restored and to function at our very best.
