Multidimensional recovery monitoring in elite female football: an ecological understanding of sleep–recovery relationship

This study investigated the associations between objective actigraphy-based sleep, morning heart rate variability, perception of recovery and sleep quality in elite female football players during a competitive season. Fifteen elite players from one Italian Serie A team were monitored over 14 weeks, collecting sleep data using wrist-worn actigraphy and sleep diaries. Daily subjective sleep and recovery metrics were also collected using brief self-report scales. Morning heart rate variability was assessed using a 1-min seated recording, to account for an autonomic marker of recovery, specifically the natural logarithm of the root mean square of successive differences (LnRMSSD). Linear mixed-effects models were used to account for repeated observations within players. When modelled simultaneously, sleep efficiency emerged as a significant positive predictor of LnRMSSD (β = 0.008, p = 0.014), highlighting the importance of sleep continuity for autonomic recovery. Total sleep time, however, did not show a significant independent association with LnRMSSD (β = − 0.051, p = 0.158). Longer-than-usual total sleep time was associated with higher subjective sleep quality (β = 0.199, p < 0.001) and perceived recovery (β = 0.305, p = 0.003). Match days were associated with lower sleep quality (β = − 0.314, p = 0.007) and perceived recovery (β = − 1.583, p < 0.001) compared with training and rest days. Monitoring in elite female football should not rely only on single markers for recovery or stress, it should encompass multifaceted and integrated strategies accounting for different dimensions of fitness and performance.