How Does Exercise Affect Sleep, and How Does Sleep Fuel Athletic Performance?

August 25, 2026

Our Sleep Expert Takeaways:

Exercise and sleep are mutually beneficial, with more frequent exercise associated with more and better sleep. Likewise, sleeping well was found to boost athletic performance, while poor sleep dragged it down.
Walking or hiking is the most common form of exercise for all age groups. For younger respondents (ages 20 to 29), running or jogging was the second-most popular activity, while for respondents ages 30 to 59 and respondents who were 60 and older, weightlifting and strength training were in second place.

Download the Complete 2026 Sleep Uncovered Annual Report (PDF)

Few things are as essential as sleep for maximizing performance, and that’s especially true for athletes. The 2026 Mattress Firm annual report, Sleep Uncovered, reinforces the essential relationship between sleep and exercise.

The report was commissioned by Mattress Firm and produced jointly with SleepScore Labs by Sleep.ai.

Who participated in this year’s survey of exercise and sleep?

As part of the report, 421 adults shared their views on numerous aspects of their exercise routines and their sleep, including their preferred forms of exercise, how sleep affects their performance and how exercise affects their sleep. The respondents ranged from daily exercisers to people who never exercised, although 97% of respondents did some form of exercise.

Overall, nearly 80% of respondents were frequent exercisers:

20.2% exercised daily
34.2% exercised 4-6 times a week
25.4% exercised 2-3 times a week

An additional 17.6% were occasional exercisers. This included:

5.7% who exercised once a week
4.8% who exercised 1-3 times a month
7.1% who exercised rarely

A small percentage of respondents (2.6%) said they never exercised.

The youngest respondent was 20, and the oldest was 89. The majority of participants, 62%, were between 30 and 59 years old. An additional 32% were between 60 and 89 years old, and 6% were between 20 and 29 years old.

About two-thirds of respondents were female, and one-third were male, with one respondent declining to note their gender.

How does exercise affect sleep?

The survey responses reinforced that exercise has a positive impact on sleep. Frequent exercisers were more likely to say that after days when they’d exercised, they slept better every time or most of the time, compared to occasional exercisers. As one respondent wrote, “I think exercise prepares my body for a good night’s sleep.”

More than half of all exercisers said that falling asleep after days that included exercise was “easy” or “very easy.”

When it came to other aspects of their sleep, frequent exercisers had an advantage. Compared to occasional exercisers, respondents who exercised at least 2 to 3 times a week were more likely to say that on days they exercised, they found it easier to keep a consistent sleep schedule, stay asleep and obtain at least 7 hours of sleep.

As exercise frequency went up, reported sleep need went down

All of the respondents said they needed more sleep than they were getting, but this varied based on how often they exercised. Respondents who never exercised said they needed the most sleep, 7 hours and 35 minutes. Occasional exercisers said they needed 7 hours and 29 minutes of sleep, and frequent exercisers said they needed 7 hours and 19 minutes.

Overall, reported sleep need showed a dose-response relationship. For each category of exercise frequency (such as exercising daily rather than 4 to 6 times a week), the amount of sleep that respondents said they needed decreased by 3 ½ minutes.

More frequent exercisers had less sleep debt

After calculating the difference between respondents’ desired and reported sleep, SleepScore Labs found that this sleep debt also had a dose-response relationship. For each frequency category (such as exercising one to three times a week compared to once a week), the amount of sleep debt decreased by 6 minutes.

How does sleep affect exercise?

Most respondents noted that whether or not they got a good night’s sleep affected their athletic performance and their motivation.

For 81% of frequent exercisers and for 73% of occasional exercisers, getting an ideal night of sleep—one that was long enough, was consistent and was high quality—was either “very important” or “extremely important.”

Poor sleep drags down performance

When asked how their performance was affected by a night of poor sleep, mental focus and mood, time to exhaustion and motivation—mental focus topped the list for both groups of exercisers.

Frequent exercisers were more likely than occasional exercisers to notice that their strength and exertion level were worse than normal.

As one respondent noted, “If I don’t get enough sleep, I don’t feel motivated to exercise.”

Poor sleep leads to reduced workouts

After a poor night of sleep, 73% of respondents said they exercised less intensely, and 60% said they cut their workouts short.

What are the most popular ways to work out?

Overall, walking and hiking were the top preferred activities, with 78.5% of respondents saying it was one of their primary forms of exercise. The second most popular type of exercise overall was weightlifting and strength training (48%), followed by yoga and Pilates (37.6%).

Exercise preferences varied by age range and gender

Preferred exercise activities tended to be lower impact for older participants. While running and jogging were the second-most popular exercises for 20-29-year-olds, weightlifting and strength training were the second-favorite options for 30-59-year-olds and for participants ages 60 and up. Several other activities, such as yoga and Pilates, cycling and swimming, showed up in the Top Ten list for all three age groups.

For male and female respondents, four of their top five activities were the same: walking and hiking, weightlifting, cycling, and running and jogging.

How does a personalized sleep system affect sleep?

A sub-group of eight athletes used a personalized Mattress Firm sleep system for two weeks and reported back on how it affected their sleep and their athletic performance. Each of the participants worked with an in-store Sleep Expert who helped them select a mattress, adjustable base and pillow.

Among the results: 100% of the participants found their new sleep systems supportive and cool, and 88% found that they were comfortable, relieved pressure and enabled them to wake feeling well-rested and satisfied with their sleep.

Participants also used a SleepScore Max device placed near their beds that measured various aspects of their sleep. The data showed that participants spent less time awake in the middle of the night, had greater sleep efficiency and also spent a greater proportion of the night in deep sleep.

The eight athletes who tested the personalized sleep systems included a mix of professional athletes, retired professional athletes, recreational athletes and “weekend warriors.” When asked how important their sleep system was for their performance and recovery, 88% said it was either “very” or “extremely” important.

Download the Complete 2026 Sleep Uncovered Annual Report (PDF)

Lisa L. Lewis is a long-time writer and journalist. Her book, The Sleep-Deprived Teen, was described as “an urgent and timely read” by Daniel Pink and “grounded in science and filled with insights and inspiration” by Arianna Huffington. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and elsewhere. She regularly presents to schools and other organizations about the essential role of sleep. More info: www.lisallewis.com.