Sleep Dysfunction and Mood in Collegiate Soccer Athletes

Abstract

Background: Sleep and mood are critical factors that contribute to health and wellness and are of particular interest to collegiate athletes who are juggling high physical, academic, and social demands. The aim of this study was to examine how psychological measures, player status, and sex-related factors were associated with perceived sleep quality. Hypothesis: Higher levels of global sleep dysfunction will be related to poor mood and increased anxiety, and there will be differences in sleep dysfunction in male compared with female athletes as well as regarding playing status. Study Design: Prospective cohort study. Level of Evidence: Level 4. Methods: During the 2016 through 2018 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) seasons, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Profile of Mood States, and Sports Anxiety Scale–2 questionnaires were administered to 230 soccer athletes at 6 separate time points throughout each season. Results: PSQI results yielded scores ≥5 in 54% of observations. Increased sleep dysfunction was significantly related to decreased vigor and increased tension, depression, anger, fatigue, somatic anxiety, worry, and concentration disruption, although effect sizes (ES) were trivial (ES, –0.03 to 0.15). The odds ratio (OR) of reporting global sleep dysfunction increased by 8%, 9%, and 25% for every 1-unit increase in tension (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.02-1.16; P = 0.015), fatigue (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.03-1.16; P = 0.002), and concentration disruption (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.09-1.45; P = 0.002), respectively. The odds of reporting global sleep dysfunction were 55% lower for males than females (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.25-0.79; P = 0.006). Conclusion: Global sleep dysfunction was prevalent in NCAA soccer players and was related to negative mental health outcomes. Female participants experienced increased odds of reporting global sleep dysfunction. Clinical Relevance: Regular monitoring allows for a greater understanding of the interrelatedness between sleep and mental health in athletes.

The tracking of internal and external training loads with next-day player-reported fatigue at different times of the season in elite soccer players

“…46 Acute physiological responses such as delayed onset of muscular soreness have been shown to contribute to poor sleep quality 3 while poor sleep quality is known to affect psychological factors such as “mood” or “stress”. 47…”

Assessment of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on emotional and nutritional status of university athletes

“…In literature, many studies have been conducted to identify changes in human mood status [14][15][16] and eating behaviors in different periods and conditions. However, there has not been any research on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, which creates a scantiness/limitation that has never been seen in human life, on the emotional and emotional eating behaviors of young university students who are active athletes.…”

Sex differences in sleep and influence of the menstrual cycle on women’s sleep in junior endurance athletes

“…Moreover, a paradox exists in the sex-based sleep data. Despite the abundant evidence that women’s sleep patterns are objectively better than men’s, female athletes report a higher incidence of poor subjective sleep quality [ 13 – 15 ], and are 55% more likely to report sleep disturbances than male athletes [ 7 ]. Likewise, in two cross-sectional studies of athletes, female sex was found to be a significant predictor of poor subjective sleep quality [ 9 , 13 ].…”

“…Previous research showed that increases in mental strain and training load can be disruptive to athletes' sleep, through associations with reduced sleep duration, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and sleep efficiency [4][5][6]. However, athletes' sleep quantity and quality are also influenced by their sex [7][8][9][10].…”