Sleep/wake behaviours of elite athletes from individual and team sports

Abstract

Sleep is an essential component for athlete recovery due to its physiological and psychological restorative effects, yet few studies have explored the habitual sleep/wake behaviour of elite athletes. The aims of the present study were to investigate the habitual sleep/wake behaviour of elite athletes, and to compare the differences in sleep between athletes from individual and team sports. A total of 124 (104 male, 20 female) elite athletes (mean ± s: age 22.2 ± 3.0 years) from five individual sports and four team sports participated in this study. Participants' sleep/wake behaviour was assessed using self-report sleep diaries and wrist activity monitors for a minimum of seven nights (range 7-28 nights) during a typical training phase. Mixed-effects analyses of variances were conducted to compare the differences in the sleep/wake behaviour of athletes from two sport types (i.e. individual and team). Overall, this sample of athletes went to bed at 22:59 ± 1.3, woke up at 07:15 ± 1.2 and obtained 6.8 ± 1.1 h of sleep per night. Athletes from individual sports went to bed earlier, woke up earlier and obtained less sleep (individual vs team; 6.5 vs 7.0 h) than athletes from team sports. These data indicate that athletes obtain well below the recommended 8 h of sleep per night, with shorter sleep durations existing among athletes from individual sports.

Sleep Quality and Chronotype Differences between Elite Athletes and Non-Athlete Controls

“…A study in 47 Olympic athletes from various sports documented an average of 6.9 h of sleep across four nights, as measured objectively by actigraphy [21]. A similar amount of sleep was found in 124 elite Australian athletes from both individual and team sports, with team athletes averaging 6.8 h and athletes from individual sports averaging 6.5 h of sleep per night [22]. Research in Australian Olympic swimmers found that during early morning training days, athletes obtained just 5.4 h of sleep on average, compared to 7.1 h of sleep on rest days [23].…”

“…The recommended amount of sleep for adults is between 7 h and 9 h per day [20]. According to the available evidence, many athletes may not meet the minimum sleep quantity recommendation [21][22][23]. A study in 47 Olympic athletes from various sports documented an average of 6.9 h of sleep across four nights, as measured objectively by actigraphy [21].…”

Tracking Morning Fatigue Status Across In-Season Training Weeks in Elite Soccer Players

“…33 Interestingly, data from elite endurance athletes have frequently shown reductions in sleep quantity the night prior to competition. 34 Perceived ratings of sleep were not measured the night prior to matches in the present study and therefore a reduction may have occurred. Future work is required in order to further understand the effects of training and match load on perceived and objective measures of sleep quality.…”

Stress, Sleep and Recovery in Elite Soccer: A Critical Review of the Literature

“…As it is non-invasive and allows data collection over significant periods of time at home or while travelling, actigraphy is particularly useful for understanding sleep patterns among athletes [4]. Four main studies have examined the amount and quality of sleep that elite athletes obtain [28][29][30][31]. Specifically, there is limited scientific information regarding sleep requirements and characteristics in elite soccer players.…”