Recovery after padel: sleep, sauna, cold water and rest

Sleep and food do most of the work in recovery. Sauna, ice baths and massage are nice extras, but their effect is smaller.

Raketiline editorial team Published

Training gives your body a reason to improve, but the improvement itself happens while you rest. With too little recovery, your body gets tired, your game gets worse and your risk of injury goes up. Fortunately, the most effective ways to recover are simple and free.

What helps recovery the most?

Sleep, food and a sensible training load. Sleep matters most of the three, and it is also the most underrated. Carbohydrates in your food refill your energy stores and protein rebuilds your muscles. You also need enough fluids. Hard and easy days should alternate too.

Sauna, cold water, massage and foam rolling can make you feel better, but their effect is smaller and they don’t replace those three.

How much should you sleep?

Adults are advised to sleep at least 7 hours a night. In 2025, Estonia’s national recommendations included sleep for the first time.

  • According to one study, young athletes who slept less than 8 hours had about 1.7 times the risk of injury.
  • In a small study of 11 basketball players, sprint times and shooting accuracy improved after they extended their sleep.

Padel is often played late in the evening. After a late match, your body is still alert. Give yourself time to wind down before bed and avoid caffeine in the evening.

What should you eat and drink after a match?

Within a couple of hours after the match, eat a proper meal with carbohydrates and protein, for example potatoes or buckwheat with fish or chicken, or rye bread with quark. Drink until you’re no longer thirsty and your urine is pale. You’ll find amounts and examples in the nutrition guide.

Alcohol after training slows your recovery. In one study, a large amount of alcohol after exercise reduced muscle protein synthesis even when protein was eaten at the same time.

Does the sauna help recovery?

A sauna is pleasant and relaxing, but there is little evidence that it speeds up recovery from sport. Many padel centres have one: see centres with a sauna and padel courts.

In a Finnish observational study of 2,315 men, those who used a sauna 4–7 times a week had a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. A study like this does not prove cause and effect.

  • Drink before and after the sauna, because after a match your body has already lost fluid.
  • Don’t drink alcohol in the sauna.
  • If you have heart disease or low blood pressure, or you feel dizzy, be careful and ask a doctor.

Do cold water and ice baths help?

Cold water can reduce muscle soreness over the following days. According to a meta-analysis, the effect was best in water at about 11–15°C for 11–15 minutes.

Cold water has a downside too. In a study where participants got into cold water after every strength session, their muscle strength and muscle mass grew less over 12 weeks than in those who did active recovery. If your goal is to build strength, don’t get into an ice bath straight after strength training. At a tournament with several matches in a day, cold water can help you feel better.

Do massage and foam rolling help?

According to a meta-analysis of recovery techniques, massage works best for reducing muscle soreness and the feeling of fatigue. Foam rolling has a small effect: it may slightly improve mobility and reduce how much pain you feel. Neither is necessary, but if it makes you feel better, go ahead.

What is active recovery?

It means light movement the next day: a walk, an easy bike ride, a swim or mobility exercises. It makes you feel better and beats sitting down all day. You’ll find exercises in the mobility guide.

How many rest days do you need?

It depends on your age, fitness and training load. The general rule: don’t increase your load suddenly. Someone who has been playing twice a week shouldn’t suddenly start playing five times a week. If you do strength training, leave at least a day between hard sessions for the same muscles.

What are the signs of overtraining?

  • tiredness that doesn’t go away even after a rest day;
  • your game gets worse even though you’re training more;
  • you sleep worse;
  • pain that doesn’t go away or comes back with every session;
  • your mood and motivation drop.

If you notice several of these signs, cut back your training load for a week. If that doesn’t help, talk to a doctor.

How do you recover on a tournament day?

  • Between matches, eat small, easily digestible things: a banana, rye bread, yoghurt.
  • Drink regularly, even if you’re not thirsty yet.
  • Put on warm clothes straight after each match.
  • Keep moving gently between matches and do a short warm-up before the next one.

Sources

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