New Study: More Than 1 in 3 College Athletes Lost Time to Fatigue Last Season

Owaves' Body Clock Report reveals athletes who correctly understand their circadian rhythm — the body's internal clock — are 21% less likely to experience a fatigue-related injury, illness, or significant performance setback per season

ENCINITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--College athletes are training with more data, more recovery technology, and more product-driven interventions than any generation before. Yet more than 1 in 3 (37%) experienced a fatigue-related injury, illness, or significant performance setback last season. That's a central finding from Owaves' Body Clock Report, a survey of 1,000 U.S. college students, 400 of whom are athletes. Released today by Owaves, the circadian-health company behind BodyClock AI™, the findings reveal what separates the athletes who avoid setbacks from those who don't.

The athlete performance paradox

Among the athletes surveyed:

• More than half (52%) report “a lot of” or “complete” control over when they train
• Nearly 1 in 3 (31%) can't say whether their schedule aligns with their biology at all
• 67% use a tool — e.g., a health app, smartwatch, fitness tracker, or smart ring — to track their health and fitness

Despite meaningful autonomy and widespread access to recovery tools, more than 1 in 3 athletes (37%) experienced a fatigue-related injury, illness, or significant performance setback.

"College athletes today are the most-monitored, most-supplemented generation of student athletes we've ever seen," said Royan Kamyar, M.D., MBA, Founder and CEO of Owaves. "While they’ve built recovery stacks with trackers, red lights, cold plunges, and supplements, the foundational science of when to sleep, eat, train, and recover is still misunderstood by the majority. That gap is showing up on the field and court."

The difference maker: Understanding their body clock

The report finds a clear separator between the athletes who suffer setbacks and those who don't: whether they correctly understand their circadian rhythm — a person’s body’s internal clock, helping regulate sleep, wakefulness, hormone release, and other biological processes over a 24-hour cycle.

Athletes who correctly define circadian rhythm report a 33% setback rate while those who cannot report a 41% rate. The 8 percentage point gap represents 21% fewer setbacks — injury, illness, or significant performance setback — per season for the circadian-literate group.

The pattern also shows up in how athletes rank what matters for performance. Athletes with circadian literacy rate sleep duration higher (4.40 vs. 4.13 on a 5-point scale) and sleep timing higher (4.18 vs. 4.03). Athletes without circadian literacy overindex on products and technology, while undervaluing sleep duration and timing — the two foundational sleep behaviors most directly under an athlete's control.

Kamyar continued, "We're seeing a 'product-before-protocol' pattern across young adults, which can be especially costly for athletes. They're spending money on products while running training schedules that fight their biology. The fix isn't simply more gear or equipment, but 'rhythmmaxxing': aligning training, recovery, meals, and sleep with the body's natural 24-hour rhythm. Athletic programs that build this understanding into their culture will have a real edge — measured in fewer setbacks, better performance, and healthier athletes."

Methodology

The 2026 Body Clock Report is based on a survey of 1,000 U.S. college students ages 18 to 25, conducted in May and June of 2026 by Dynata, a nationwide panel provider. Respondents were nationally distributed across all 50 states and balanced across gender and region. 40% of respondents (n=400) identified as current student athletes — including varsity, club, and intramural — and were asked an expanded set of athlete-specific questions on training autonomy, tracker use, performance factors, and setbacks (injury, illness, or significant performance setback). Full methodology and topline findings available at https://owaves.com/body-clock-report-2026-athletes-edition.

About Owaves

Owaves, Inc. is the creator of BodyClock AI™, a personalized daily planning platform that helps people align their schedules with their circadian rhythms to improve mood, focus, energy, sleep, and overall well-being. Founded by physician-entrepreneur Royan Kamyar, M.D., MBA, the company combines circadian science, behavioral design, and AI-driven lifestyle guidance to deliver a proactive, accessible approach to health. Owaves has attracted 1.3 million organic downloads, earned the #1 Health & Fitness ranking on iPad in more than 135 countries, and logged over 620 million activities. Clinical validation partners include UC San Diego's Center for Circadian Biology and Medicine and Scripps Research Digital Trials Center. Learn more at www.owaves.com.