Underrecovery syndrome happens when athletes don’t give their body and mind enough time to rest after doing physical or mental work. This can happen because of things like practicing too much, feeling pressure to do well, or just the stress of a day to day busy life (Kellmann & Altfeld, 2014). Short periods of underrecovery can be fixed by taking a break or doing things to relax, but if allowed to continue for a long time, can cause long term problems (. In the short-term, people might feel tired, lose motivation, and have trouble focusing. They might also get hurt more easily. In the long-term, they might feel depressed, lose weight, have trouble sleeping, and get sick more often (Kellmann & Altfeld, 2014). If someone has chronic underrecovery, they need to take a longer break and get help from a doctor or therapist. To prevent this from happening, athletes need to make a conscious effort to balance working hard with taking breaks and learn how to manage stress (Kellmann & Altfeld, 2014).
Kellmann, M., & Altfeld, S. (2014). Underrecovery syndrome. In R. C. Eklund, & G. Tenenbaum (Eds.), Encyclopedia of sport and exercise psychology (pp. 773775). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Altfeld, S., & Kellmann, M. (2019). In D. Hackfort, R. J. Schinke, & B. Strauss (Eds.), Dictionary of sport psychology: Sport, exercise, and performing arts (p. 310-311). Academic Press.
