WHOOP Partners with Global Research Leaders to Investigate Sleep, Recovery, and Performance in Elite Female Athletes

BOSTON, MA–August 7th, 2025– WHOOP, the human performance company, is proud to announce its partnership with Monash University and a global team of experts on Project FASTT (Female Athlete Sleep, Travel and Technology)- a groundbreaking initiative focused on understanding how sleep and circadian rhythms impact recovery and peak performance in elite female athletes.

The first project of its kind, FASTT aims to bridge the longstanding gender data gap in sports science by exploring how factors like sleep, circadian disruption, and menstrual cycles influence the physical and mental performance of female athletes. WHOOP is providing wearable technology to collect continuous, real-time physiological data, empowering researchers with critical insights into heart rate variability (HRV), sleep staging, respiratory rate, recovery, and more.

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Monash University and a network of world-class researchers on this landmark initiative,” said Dr. Kristen Holmes, Global Head of Human Performance at WHOOP. “Female athletes are historically underrepresented in performance research. Project FASTT is an important step toward creating data-driven, individualized approaches that help all athletes unlock their full potential.”

Led by Dr. Elise Facer-Childs and her team from Monash University’s School of Psychological Sciences and funded by the Australian Research Council and the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance, Project FASTT will use the WHOOP continuous monitoring platform to capture how athletes respond to sleep disruptions, travel schedules, hormonal changes, and daily stressors—especially in high-performance environments.

“The project seeks to increase our understanding of how these factors impact athletes and develop an effective, individualised optimisation program to enhance performance, recovery, and mental wellbeing. The findings of our project will benefit elite sports organisations and have the potential to be applied in other high-performance settings,” Dr Facer-Childs said.

In addition to WHOOP, the project involves collaborations with Readiness, Harvard University, the Salk Institute, the Australian Catholic University, and elite sports organizations including the Southside Melbourne Flyers (WNBL), GreenEDGE Cycling, and North Melbourne Football Club.

Elevating the Athlete Experience

For athletes like Tricia Cowan (North Melbourne VFLW) and Maddison Rocci (Southside Flyers), the project offers a chance to directly shape the future of women’s sport.

“As athletes, we want to improve in any means necessary and the way that happens is through research and seeing what works and doesn’t,” Tricia said.

“To have more research done on female athletes, it won’t only help our performance but help bring awareness to the importance of being represented in research to understand the differences between athletes and ensure we can have access to the best practices for success.”

“Female athletes have unique physiological, hormonal, and psychological considerations that may influence their sleep patterns and how these affect their performance. By understanding how sleep impacts female athletes, I believe researchers can develop targeted strategies to optimize recovery, prevent injury, and enhance overall performance. From this study, I hope to see some key changes in the field of sports science and athletics,” Maddison said.

WHOOP remains committed to pushing the boundaries of human performance science and delivering actionable insights that support athletes of every level.

Interview time with the WHOOP researchers is available upon request.

About WHOOP

WHOOP, the human performance company, offers a wearable health and fitness coach to help people achieve their goals. The WHOOP membership provides best-in-class wearable technology, actionable feedback, and recommendations across recovery, sleep, training, and health. WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG offer groundbreaking health innovations, including cardiovascular health features; Healthspan which quantifies Pace of Aging and provides members with their WHOOP Age; and first-of-its-kind wearable Blood Pressure Insights. WHOOP is the perfect health companion for anyone looking to optimize their health and performance. Founded in 2012, WHOOP is based in Boston and has raised more than $400 million in venture capital. WHOOP is available to ship in 56 markets worldwide and the WHOOP app is available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish (Latin America). WHOOP can be purchased on Amazon across the U.S., U.K., and Australia, as well as Best Buy (U.S.) Dick’s Sporting Goods (U.S.), Flipkart (India) and Virgin Megastore (GCC), and more.  

To learn more or start a one-month free trial, visit whoop.com and connect with WHOOP on Instagram, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. 

Contacts

press@whoop.com