<![CDATA[Sports injury is a major problem that disrupts performance and academic continuity among student-athletes, requiring practical and non-invasive monitoring indicators. This study aimed to analyze the role of sleep quality and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) as predictors of injury risk and their contribution to the recovery process in student-athletes from the Sports Science Study Program at Universitas Singaperbangsa Karawang (UNSIKA), Indonesia. A prospective cohort design was applied to 97 active student-athletes from various sports during one competitive semester. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), while cardiovascular autonomic status was estimated every morning through manual radial pulse palpation, yielding Resting Heart Rate (RHR) and a Pulse Rate Variability Index (PRVI) as a simple, device-free surrogate marker of HRV. Injury incidence was recorded weekly and confirmed by the physiotherapist team. Data were analyzed using Spearman correlation and logistic regression. Results showed that poor sleep quality (PSQI ≥8; OR = 2.64; 95% CI 1.21–5.78; p = 0.014) and a >10% increase in PRVI from individual baseline (OR = 2.31; 95% CI 1.18–4.52; p = 0.015) were significantly associated with increased injury risk, with the combined model yielding OR = 3.05 (95% CI 1.42–6.57; p < 0.001) and a classification accuracy of 73.2% (AUC = 0.76). It is concluded that routine, device-free monitoring of sleep quality and cardiovascular autonomic status (RHR/PRVI) can serve as an early screening tool for injury risk among student-athletes.]]>
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