How Sleep Quality Impacts Performance: What We Can Learn from Professional Athletes

How Sleep Quality Impacts Performance: What We Can Learn from Professional Athletes

As the official sleep partner of theLadies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA), DFI Beds understands the crucial role sleep plays in athletes' recovery and performance.Whether you're a professional athlete orsimply want to feel your best every day, the connection between sleep and overall well-being is undeniable. A recentstudy on professional male football players in Morocco has shed new light on how sleep quality influences both recovery and nutritional choices and performance. Let's dive into the study and explore how these findings can benefit everyone, especially those striving for peak performance in their personal and professional lives.

The Link Between Sleep and Nutrition in Athletes

This study, 'Subjective sleep quality and nutritional status among male professional football players in competition from Morocco', published in The Journal of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine, was conducted with 49 professional footballers from Morocco's Botola-Pro League. It examined how subjective sleep quality and nutritional status were related. The research aimed to uncover whether poor sleep affected dietary habits, and the results were quite telling.

Key Findings:

• Sleep Quality: 73% of the players reported good sleep quality, while 27% were categorised as poor sleepers. The difference between the two groups was significant, with those who slept poorly having much lower sleep quality scores.
• Nutritional Intake: Those with better sleep quality consumed more calories overall (3,159 kcal vs. 2,757 kcal for poor sleepers). They also had a healthier balance of macronutrients, with higher carbohydrate and protein intake and lower fat consumption.
• Dietary Habits: Poor sleepers were more likely to consume high-fat foods like butter and oils, while good sleepers ate more vegetablesfish, and had more regular meal patterns.

The Sleep-Food Cycle: How Poor Sleep Leads to Poorer Nutrition Choices

What's particularly interesting is the correlation between poor sleep and unhealthy eating habits. Poor sleepers were found to have irregular eating patterns and a preference for fatty, high-calorie foods like processed meats, butter, and soda. This can be attributed to the hormonal imbalances caused by sleep deprivation, which lead to increased appetite and cravings for unhealthy food. The study also showed that poor sleepers had fewer meals per day, skipping breakfast or snacks, which further contributed to suboptimal nutrition.

Conversely, those with better sleep quality tended to eat more regular meals, including breakfast, and had a more balanced intake of macronutrients, with a higher proportion of carbohydrates and proteins essential for muscle recovery and overall health.

What This Means for You

While this study focused on elite athletes, its insights apply to anyone looking to improve their health, energy, and performance. Whether you're an LGFA player or a busy parent juggling home-life balance, we should all take the connection between sleep quality and nutrition seriously.

Here are a few takeaways that are directly applicable to you:

• Good Sleep = Healthier Food Choices: When you sleep well, you're more likely to make better nutritional decisions, which can support everything from energy levels to muscle recovery and overall well-being.
• Poor Sleep Can Lead to Unhealthy Cravings: Lack of sleep can cause hormonal disruptions that increase cravings for fatty, processed foods, which may impact your long-term health and fitness goals.
• Sleep Impacts Your Performance: Just like athletes, your performance in daily tasks, whether at work, home or in the gym, can be greatly improved by prioritising quality sleep. Better rest supports sharper decision-making, increased energy, and a more balanced lifestyle.
• Invest in Your Sleep Environment: The right sleep setup, like a supportive mattress and comfortable bedding, can improve your sleep quality. At DFI Beds, we know that investing in your sleep is an investment in your overall health and performance, both on and off the field.

Why We Care: Our Partnership with the LGFA

At DFI Beds, our partnership with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association goes beyond theLGFA x DFI Sleep Collection. We are deeply invested in supporting the LGFA athletes' recovery and performance, and we understand the role that quality sleep plays in achieving peak performance. As the official sleep partner of the LGFA, we are committed to promoting healthy sleep habits among athletes and everyday people alike. As part of this collaboration with LGFA, DFI Beds is conducting an LFGA Player Sleep Survey to determine how much sleep playershere in Ireland get and how it impacts their performance.

The research findings in this study of players in Morocco align perfectly with our mission to improve recovery, performance, and well-being through quality sleep. Whetheryou're on the field or at work, sleep quality is a key factor in maximising your potential.

Better sleep leads to better food choices,more energy, and improved performance

The link between sleep quality and nutrition is clear. Better sleep leads to better food choices,more energy, and improved performance.If you want to boost your recovery and overall health, focusing on your sleep environment and habits is a great place to start. At DFI Beds, we're here to help you make that investment in your health.

Sleep better. Perform Better.

Is your sleep setup supporting your recovery and performance? Explore our LGFA x DFI Beds Sleep Collection. Or, our extensive range of mattresses and beds designed to help you get the quality sleep you deserve.

Study: Subjective sleep quality and nutritional status among male professional football players in competition from Morocco, March 2025.The Journal of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine 14(2):43-53

Authors:Mourad Oukheda,Abdelfettah Derouiche,Anass Kettani,Rachid Saile,Taki Hassan