Prevalence of sleep disorders and sleep problems in an elite super rugby union team

An education intervention in a professional female basketball team and coaching staff improves sleep and alertness

“…An additional potential limitation in this study is the absence of overnight in‐laboratory PSG (gold standard) for the screening of potential sleep disorders. A recent study by the authors reported that 36% of athletes potentially have a sleep disorder 28 . However, the objective data, anthropometric data, survey questionnaires collected in this study, and follow‐up (n = 2 players) with a specialist sleep and respiratory physician found no such evidence.…”

“…A recent study by the authors reported that 36% of athletes potentially have a sleep disorder. 28 However, the objective data, anthropometric data, survey questionnaires collected in this study, and follow-up (n = 2 players) with a specialist sleep and respiratory physician found no such evidence. While PSG is one night in a laboratory, the strength of this study is that we recorded a combined 664 nights resulting in 5,312 sleep and alertness measures in 12 players and three coaches.…”

“…Thus, since many self-report measures of sleep (such as the ISI) have been validated on the general population rather than on elite athletes, their utility for the sports population appears questionable. 28 Instead, coaches and researchers should consider using survey tools that are specifically developed for use in athletes such as the Athletes Sleep Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) and or the Athlete Sleep Behaviour Questionnaire (ASBQ). 29,30 Previous research has shown that over a season due to training load; players tend to have a steady degradation of sleep duration and sleep efficiency that may be attributable to an increase in circulating cortisol and sympathetic activity 31 ; however, such a decline in sleep quality/duration was not observed in the present study over nine games within a season.…”

“…According to ReadiBand‐derived measures, time to fall asleep, time awake throughout the night, and time at wake each morning were all within normal clinical ranges and did not vary significantly throughout the study. Thus, since many self‐report measures of sleep (such as the ISI) have been validated on the general population rather than on elite athletes, their utility for the sports population appears questionable 28 . Instead, coaches and researchers should consider using survey tools that are specifically developed for use in athletes such as the Athletes Sleep Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) and or the Athlete Sleep Behaviour Questionnaire (ASBQ) 29,30 …”

Managing Travel Fatigue and Jet Lag in Athletes: A Review and Consensus Statement

“…For example, after a westward flight over 8 time zones, athletes will feel sleepy, their performance will be impaired in the evening, and they will wake earlier than usual in the morning [21]. In contrast, after an eastward flight over 8 time zones, athletes will also 3 Important information to consider in the application of travel fatigue management [2,4,82,[93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100][101][102][103] Pre-travel Sleep Protect sleep as much as possible Be well-rested before travel (e.g. sleep banking strategy) If sleep deprived avoid aiming to catch up on sleep during travel Planning Start as soon as destinations and dates of sporting events are known Identify optimal travel options (flights, rail or bus) in terms of departure and arrival times, the flow-through security, venues for eating, availability of lounges Calculate the total travel duration and stopover durations Minimise time between last "proper" sleep at the place of departure and first "proper" sleep at the destination Provide exact schedules and individual responsibilities to athletes and management in advance of travel Ensure all documentation is in order Training synchronisation Plan training load and intensity before travel to allow for expected relative rest associated with travel Illness prevention Ensure vaccinations are up to date Treat recurrent illnesses Pack prefilled WADA-approved prescription medication Replace long duration, high volume training which can be immuno-suppressive with shorter duration, high intensity sessions Refuel and rehydrate Implement an evidence-based nutrition and hydration plan to meet macro-and micro-nutrient needs as well as fluid needs well in advance of travel Focus on electrolyte replacement is required for a minority of athletes e.g.…”