Ice hockey ranks among the world’s most demanding team sports, making sleep and recovery crucial for professionals. Yet, between travel, frequent training, and the mental pressures of elite competition, how well do these athletes sleep, and what impact does that have on their game performance?

PhD candidate Amélie Apinis‑Deshaies of the Université de Montréal surveyed 50 AHL players, with input from Bishop’s University, publishing the findings in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance.

Earlier research has highlighted the mental‑health challenges elite athletes confront. Building on this, Apinis‑Deshaies examined both physical and psychological factors influencing sleep quality.

Over the 2017‑2019 season, 50 AHL players aged 20‑27 answered a daily questionnaire covering sleep quality, mental well‑being, diet, stress, and pain levels.

Simultaneously, participants wore motion sensors that recorded training and game effort, enabling the team to quantify time spent in high‑intensity activities such as accelerating, decelerating, sustained skating, and gliding.

On average, the cohort slept eight hours nightly, but sleep quality and duration dipped following away or evening matches, and high‑intensity training further reduced sleep time.

Conversely, those reporting greater mental well‑being enjoyed better sleep, while game outcomes (win or loss) had no discernible effect on sleep patterns.

Apinis‑Deshaies notes that these insights can guide coaches and management in safeguarding players’ physical and mental health.

She emphasizes that a player's sense of well‑being exerts the strongest positive influence on sleep quality and duration, independent of training load or game effort.

Coaches and support staff should proactively mitigate negative influences—particularly non‑hockey stressors—to enhance well‑being and promote restorative rest.