Sleep plays an important role in physiological and psychological well-being. Poor sleep quality can impair competitive performance through, increase injury rates and reduced training efficiency. On the other hand, high-quality sleep before a competition can enhance performance and optimize results. Despite these findings, the literature has yet to explore whether sleep quality is related to performance in tests such as the Upper Limb Rotation Test (ULRT).

To analyze the association between sleep quality and physical performance in the ULRT among swimmers.

This was a cross-sectional study. This study was approved by Ethics Research Committee. The sample included swimmers of both sexes, aged between 12 and 60 years, with more than one year of experience in the sport, training at least three times per week, and actively participating in competitions. Sleep quality was assessed using the Brazilian version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a valid and reliable 10-item instrument. Upper limb physical performance was evaluated using the ULRT. The test was performed with athletes in an elbow plank position, with the shoulder, epicondyle, greater trochanter, and lateral malleolus touching a wall. They executed trunk rotations combined with external shoulder rotation at 90° of abduction, aiming to touch a mat on the wall as quickly as possible within 15 seconds. Three attempts were performed, with a 45-second rest between trials, the number of repetitions was recorded as the score, and the mean of three trials was considered for analysis. Data analysis was conducted using Jamovi software. Univariate linear regression was performed to assess the association between sleep quality and the Upper Limb Rotation Test (ULRT).

A total of 53 swimmers were included, with an average of 7.0 ± 6.36 years of sports practice and a mean age of 30.2 ± 14.4 years, of whom 23 (45.1%) were female. Performance in the ULRT showed no significant association with sleep quality (p > 0.05). Additionally, sleep quality explained less than 21% of the performance variation for both the dominant and non-dominant limbs.

The findings suggested that sleep quality, assessed with the PSQI, wes not associated with ULRT performance in swimmers. Future studies should consider different approaches to analyzing sleep quality, as well as incorporating physiological and psychological factors, to better understand the relationship between sleep and functional performance.

The sleep quality, assessed with PSQI, did not have a significant impact on ULRT performance.