The Influence of Sleep on Athletes’ Body Recovery After Effort

The recovery of athletes’ body after effort is an essential component of sports training, alongside physical, technical, tactical, theoretical, and psychological preparation. Sleep is a natural and crucial means for post-effort recovery, if the quality and quantity requirements are met. The aim of this research is to investigate athletes’ perceptions and behaviors related to sleep and rest and how these affect sports performance. The research methods used were literature review, questionnaire survey, statistical-mathematical analysis and graphical representation. By analyzing the responses to a 9-question survey, the study aims to highlight the factors that affect sleep quality and the impact on recovery and overall performance. Specifically, the research seeks to identify correlations between hours of sleep, bedtime and wake-up routines, relaxation techniques and perceptions of sleep’s importance in physical recovery. The questionnaire included questions about sleep habits (sleep hours, bedtime, alarm use), perceived sleep quality and common issues (difficulty falling asleep, frequent waking); athletes’ perceptions of sleep’s influence on sports performance; factors that disrupt sleep and techniques used to improve sleep quality. The student-athletes who responded to our questionnaire do not have sufficient knowledge about sleep hygiene, meaning that coaches should focus more on providing information about athletes’ lifestyle, which include the importance of sleep for post-effort recovery, for their health and implicitly for improving sports performance. Athletes must realize that sleep should be a priority in their lifestyle, placing it in the same place with nutrition and training. Keywords: effort, performance, recovery, sleep, athletes