Den Schlaf verbessern: Warum Regeneration im Sport so wichtig ist

Why Athletes Need Quality Sleep – And How sleep² Helped Two Olympians Rest Better

For highly active individuals, sleep is essential for optimal performance during the day. But what exactly makes sleep so important for recovery, and how did sleep² help two Olympic athletes get better rest at night?

Silver Success in Doha: Simon Bucher’s New Sleep Habits

Simon Bucher made headlines on February 17, 2024, when the swimmer from Tyrol won silver in the 100-meter butterfly at the World Championships in Doha, clocking in at 51.28 seconds. A fantastic performance! Perhaps one thing that helped was his decision to read a book before bed — a habit he picked up a few months ago to help him wind down and fall asleep faster. It’s working. He enjoys thrillers, even if they sometimes sneak into his dreams, he says with a smile. Bucher also made other changes that now help him wake up more refreshed. These were inspired by a project supported by the Austrian Olympic Committee and run by the Olympic Center of Upper Austria, which focuses on recovery and sleep and integrates sleep².

Sleeping Smarter: The Power of Behavioral Change

“I’m now more mindful about how I sleep,” says Bucher. “At first, I didn’t really think about the actual benefits of sleep. I just tried to sleep a lot — especially midday. Sometimes I’d nap for up to three hours and end up feeling even more exhausted afterward.” Through the project, athletes learned that power naps should ideally take place under normal daytime conditions — without blackout curtains or heavy blankets, and should last no longer than 90 minutes. The best window is between 1 and 4 p.m., with at least 30 minutes between napping and the next training session. “Once I applied this and stopped taking such long naps, I was also able to extend my nighttime sleep,” Bucher explains. “When I wake up feeling more rested in the morning, I know I’ll feel stronger in the water.”

Why the Body Needs Sleep to Recover

Sleep is critical for physical recovery — and for athletes, it can be the difference between winning and losing. During sleep, the body removes metabolic waste that accumulates during the day — such as adenosine, which causes drowsiness, and other byproducts that are linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Sleep helps restore the body to its natural balance and releases key hormones that regulate growth, appetite, and metabolism. It also helps consolidate both declarative memory (e.g., learning facts or vocabulary) and procedural memory, such as movement patterns in sports.

In Competitive Sports, Every Percent Counts

Simon Bucher’s roommate Bernhard Reitshammer, 2023 European Short Course Champion in the 100m medley and Olympic qualifier for Paris, also noticed improvements thanks to sleep². “I always knew recovery was important,” he says. “But when you’re competing or training and every percentage point matters, sleep becomes a serious topic.” “Only once I started analyzing my sleep and got real-time feedback, I was able to develop a system. That really motivated me to stay consistent. I’ve become a lot more disciplined,” he adds. Nicknamed “Börni,” Reitshammer now tries to go to bed at the same time each night. He sleeps around 7.5 hours per night and takes a 45-minute nap during the day. “But there’s still room to improve my night sleep,” he admits.

Sleep Analysis: Real-Time Feedback and Personalized Tips

One surprise from the app: during the week, his deep sleep was lower than expected — even though it’s the phase where the body regenerates the most. On weekends, deep sleep duration increased — as though his body was catching up. “Ideally, I’d get that deep sleep when I actually need it, not days later. That’s my new goal — to increase deep sleep. It’s already improved a bit,” he says. He also changed his pre-bed routine. “I used to scroll through TikTok or Instagram for half an hour in bed. That made it harder to fall asleep. Now I make sure to stop using screens earlier in the evening.”

How sleep² Works

sleep² measures sleep with unmatched precision among consumer trackers. Using heart rate analysis, it provides highly accurate data and personalized feedback to help users improve their sleep habits. You simply wear a comfortable sensor overnight and pair it with the app before bed. It then tracks your light sleep, deep sleep, REM (dream sleep), and wake phases, as well as sleep onset, nightly wake times, efficiency, and overall sleep quality.

Sleep Tips for Athletes

While sleep is highly individual and influenced by many factors, the project with the Olympic Center of Upper Austria led to several useful general recommendations:

• How Much Sleep Is Ideal?
  • During high training loads, aim for8–9 hours of sleep per night.
  • Total daily sleep (including naps) should reach 9–10 hours.

• How Should Naps Be Structured?
  • Treat naps like training: plan them intentionally.
  • Nap for no more than 90 minutes (short naps also help!).
  • Nap between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
  • Leave at least 30 minutes between a nap and your next training session.
  • Nap at the same time daily and avoid using an alarm — but set a backup timer for 90 minutes.

• What’s a Good Sleep Rhythm?
  • Keep bedtime variation within 30 minutes each night.

• How to Improve Sleep Quality?
  • Create a wind-down routine for the last 30 minutes before sleep.
  • Try relaxation music, mental imagery, reading a book, or deep breathing.
  • Remember: good sleep starts during the day. Without restful sleep at night, it’s harder to reach top performance during the day.