From the bedroom to the arena: how sex and masturbation influence athletes' sleep?

Purpose: Athletes frequently experience sleep disturbances due to training intensity, competitive pressure, and travel. While sexual activity, particularly achieving orgasm, is linked with improved sleep through hormonal mechanisms in general populations, this relationship remains unexplored in athletes whose sleep and recovery needs are unique. To examine competitive athletes’ perceptions regarding how sexual activity (partnered intercourse and masturbation, with or without orgasm) influences sleep quality, latency, and sports performance, and explored differences by sex and sport discipline (individual vs. team). Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 164 competitive athletes (males=115, females=49; aged 18–40) from Italian sports federations completed a structured survey assessing sexual behaviour, orgasm frequency, sleep parameters, and perceived athletic impact. Statistical analysis included Chi-square, Fisher’s exact, and t-tests with significance at p<0.05. Results: A majority reported that orgasmic sexual activity significantly improved sleep quality (partnered sex: 67.7%; masturbation: 49.1%) and latency (partnered sex: 58.4%; masturbation: 46.9%). Partnered sex appeared slightly more beneficial, but difference was not statistically significant (quality: p=0.810; latency: p=0.996). Significant sex differences emerged in orgasm consistency during partnered sex (men 77.8%, women 30.0%; p<0.001) and masturbation (men 99.1%, women 83.3%; p<0.001). No sex or sport-discipline differences were identified regarding perceived sleep benefits or performance impact; most athletes (≥50%) perceived no negative effects on training or competition. Conclusion: Competitive athletes perceive sexual activity with orgasm as beneficial for sleep and neutral regarding athletic performance, challenging conventional abstinence recommendations. Practitioners should adopt individualized, evidence-based strategies when advising athletes on sexual behavior in relation to sleep and performance.