Sleep is a fundamental biological process in athletes, indispensable for tissue regeneration, exercise adaptation, and injury prevention. Disruptions in sleep architecture and duration have been consistently associated with diminished physical performance and adverse health outcomes, impairing muscular strength, power output, and endurance capacity, and concurrently compromising cognitive function. On a physiological level, insufficient sleep disrupts endocrine homeostasis, elevating cortisol levels and reducing anabolic hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone. At the molecular level, sleep loss promotes the upregulation of pro-apoptotic gene expression and exacerbates pro-inflammatory signalling pathways. Optimal sleep duration and quality represent a critical “regenerative window”, essential for enhancing athletic performance and safeguarding physiological resilience. Ensuring adequate sleep among athletes can be effectively achieved through educational, behavioural, and nutritional interventions outlined in this review.

Background: Vinyasa yoga practice improves body fitness and potentially positively affects practitioners’ well-being and health. Due to the diverse intensity of practice and positions customized to the practitioner’s needs, it can also support cancer patients. Undertaking physical activity that has a potentially positive effect on well-being and health was particularly important during the self-isolation that followed the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of three-month mild and moderate intensity vinyasa yoga practice on breast-cancer patients’ stress perception, self-confidence, and sleep quality during COVID-19 induced self-isolation. Methods: Female breast-cancer patients participated in twelve-weeks of online vinyasa practice during the COVID-19 induced self-isolation period. Meetings were held once a week, where 60-min vinyasa yoga sequences were followed by 15 min of relaxation. Patients completed pre- and post-intervention surveys to evaluate changes in the following outcomes: stress perception, self-confidence, and sleep quality. Forty-one female patients enrolled in the Vinyasa course completed the pre-intervention survey, while 13 attended all the meetings and completed the post-intervention survey. Results: The effect of the twelve-week yoga and relaxation practice significantly reduced sleep problems and stress of oncological patients. The participants also declared an improvement in their general well-being and self-acceptance. Conclusion: Dynamic forms of yoga combined with mindfulness techniques can be applied to patients treated for oncological diseases. It contributes to improving their well-being. However, in-depth studies are needed to analyze the complexity of this effect.

Background: Skin ageing is a physiological process, progressive and irreversible. Hyaluronic acid injection treatments are used to correct the signs of skin ageing. Material and Methods: Hyaluronic acid was implanted in the area of the cheek and the forehead aesthetic units in 57 women, aged 35− 55 years. Apart from the clinical observation, self-assessment of the therapeutic results was conducted. The “My skin” questionnaire was used for subjective evaluation of the treatment results. Results: Mean wrinkle score in the pre-menopausal group changed after the treatment, from 3.2± 0.6 to 1.1± 0.3 and from 3.2± 0.6 to 0.8± 0.6 for the forehead and the cheek esthetic units, respectively. In the post-menopausal group, the score decreased from 3.8± 0.4 to 1.7± 0.7 and from 3.2± 0.617 to 0.8± 0.6 for the forehead and the cheek esthetic units, respectively. The changes were age-dependent. Improved appearance of the facial skin – higher satisfaction with skin tone and scent – was reported after hyaluronic acid injections. Higher subjective perception of improvement corresponded to older age, irrespectively of the menopausal status. Correlations between age and the effect of the treatment on maintaining proper skin hydration as well as between improved appearance of the forehead area and feelings of autonomy and well-being were found. Conclusion: Hyaluronic acid injections significantly improved the subjective perception and overall assessment of the scent and appearance of the facial skin.

The aim of the study was to determine the factors influencing women's knowledge concerning breast cancer prophylaxis and find out the sources of the knowledge. In the Greater Poland region, breast cancer has been the most frequently detected tumour for years. The percentage of breast cancer cases has increased by 31% in the last decade. The study encompassed 337 women aged 40-59 who participated in the mammographic examinations. An original research tool was used which assessed the level of knowledge concerning breast cancer prophylaxis, the knowledge of health-oriented behaviour in this regard and the influence of the medical personnel on women's education. Age is a factor diversifying the knowledge of the breast self-examination method. Doctors and nurses were rarely indicated as a source of knowledge concerning breast cancer prophylaxis. The subjects presented a high level of knowledge of the factors increasing the risk of developing cancer. A correlation between the level of education and the knowledge of one's own breast to a degree which enables a woman to detect even a slight change was observed. Vital findings also concern the sources of knowledge concerning breast cancer prophylaxis. The results of the studies indicated little informative support on the part of the medical personnel; therefore, one should call for supplementing training courses for doctors and nurses focusing on the issues of prophylaxis, including the method of breast self-examination.

Background and objectives: It is now increasingly acknowledged that psychological resilience and effective stress management are important factors in determining performance in professional sport. The present review examines various psychological interventions used in sport psychology, with particular emphasis on methods for improving performance under competitive pressure. It also assesses the psychometric scales and paradigm-based tools available for measuring stress, stress reactivity, and pre-competition anxiety in athletes. Methods: A narrative review was carried out using the OVID, EBSCO, PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases, with a preference for randomised controlled trials, observational studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and consensus guidelines. Results: The results form the foundation for creating more thorough athlete support programmes. Psychological interventions are necessary to improve or maintain sporting performance, manage stress and anxiety, promote healthy sleep habits, and reduce the risk of injury. Conclusions: Athletic performance is influenced by technical, tactical, physical, and psychological factors. Psychological interventions, including self-talk, imagery, goal setting, mindfulness, and relaxation techniques, help manage stress while maintaining focus and motivation. It is recommended that athlete sleep education and psychosocially informed injury prevention be incorporated into these strategies.

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages worldwide, with ongoing debate regarding its potential benefits and drawbacks for human health, particularly sleep quality. Simultaneously, dietary composition-especially a predominantly plant-based diet-has been linked to better health outcomes. This study aimed to investigate how coffee intake and dominant dietary components relate to sleep quality in physically active individuals, with consideration of additional lifestyle factors such as stress and emotional well-being. A cross-sectional survey was administered online and via QR codes displayed in sports facilities. Physically active adults (N = 392) completed a standardized questionnaire assessing sleep quality, stress, physical activity, and demographic data. Factor analysis identified underlying dimensions of interest, which were then used in K-Means clustering to group participants with similar response patterns. Statistical analyses, including the Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn's post-hoc comparisons, determined differences in dietary and coffee consumption habits across factors and clusters. Four factors emerged from the analysis: Stress, Health, Relaxation, and Emotional Well-being. Higher stress levels strongly correlated with poor sleep quality, while coffee consumption alone was not statistically linked to stress or sleep problems. Respondents who consumed more than two cups of coffee daily often clustered into groups reporting higher health and emotional well-being. A predominantly plant-based diet was significantly associated with better overall health scores and lower stress. Clustering analysis revealed that participants with the healthiest behaviors (Cluster 2) tended to follow plant-rich diets and reported lower stress levels and better sleep outcomes. In a physically active population, stress appears to be a more robust predictor of poor sleep quality than coffee consumption. Moderate coffee intake may even coincide with higher health and emotional well-being scores. The findings emphasize that coffee consumption does not adversely affect sleep quality, and in fact has a positive effect on emotional wellbeing and health.