Episode 24 dives into the strange and often overlooked relationship between sleep and athletic performance.

This week’s paper explored whether a simple 14-day sleep hygiene intervention could measurably influence recovery, performance, and physiological stress responses in university soccer players.

The findings were more nuanced than “better sleep = better everything.”

Topics explored in this episode include:

• Sleep as part of training rather than post-training downtime

• Why sleep quality and sleep duration are not the same thing

• Dual-career athletes and modern recovery challenges

• Aerobic vs anaerobic performance responses

• Fatigue resistance and autonomic regulation

• Cortisol and anticipatory stress responses before exercise

• Sympathetic vs parasympathetic nervous system balance

• Why improved recovery may not always mean maximal explosiveness

• Environmental and behavioral factors influencing recovery

• The broader idea that adaptation occurs during recovery, not just during training

Article:
Broodryk, A. & Broodryk, R. (2026). A 14-Day Sleep Hygiene Intervention Improves Aerobic Performance and Reduces Anticipatory Cortisol in University Soccer Players. Sports, 14(179).

Coretex Athletic Review Podcast explores academic research through the lens of athlete development, performance, coaching, physiology, cognition, and complex sport systems.