Which method is commonly used for monitoring an athlete's wellness and sleep?

The Profile of Mood States (POMS) is a tool frequently employed to monitor an athlete's wellness and sleep. This psychometric tool assesses various mood states, including tension, depression, anger, vigor, fatigue, and confusion. These mood states can significantly reflect an athlete's overall well-being, fatigue levels, and recovery status, making it an effective method for tracking wellness over time. POMS can help identify shifts in an athlete's mood and alert coaches and sports scientists to potential issues like overtraining or inadequate recovery, which could be related to sleep disturbances.

Monitoring sleep, in particular, is crucial because adequate rest is fundamental for athletic performance and recovery. Athletes often report changes in mood and performance correlated with variations in their sleep quality, thus making POMS an insightful measure in this context. By regularly using the POMS, trainers can gather valuable subjective data from athletes about their mental state, which contributes to a holistic understanding of their wellness and informs training adjustments where necessary.