Nap to perform? Match-day napping on perceived match performance in professional rugby union athletes

Abstract

Background Daytime napping on match-day is a strategy used by athletes to alleviate sleep debt or to avoid boredom. However, the utilization of pre-match napping and its effect on self-rated performance has not been evaluated in professional Rugby athletes. Methods Over a 17-match season, 30 professional Rugby Union athletes (mean ± SD: 23 ± 3 y) completed a weekly questionnaire on their daytime napping practices on match day. Questions included whether they took a nap, the duration of nap, their mood state upon waking and, their perceived performance during the subsequent match. Additionally, three team coaches evaluated the match performance of each participant. Finally, each participant was asked a questionnaire focusing on their napping preferences and individual habits of match-day napping at the conclusion of the season. Results Pre-match naps were used by 86% of athletes, with an average nap duration of 32 ± 19 min. A significantly greater number of naps were taken during away matches compared to home matches (60% vs. 40%, p < 0.01). Of the athletes who napped, 86% chose to nap less than 4 h before kick-off. Furthermore, 87% of athletes who napped on match day reported believing naps helped their match performance. Additionally, the odds of an athlete rating their performance as “good” was increased 6.7 times if they napped and won the match. Conclusion This study highlights that match-day naps are commonly used amongst professional Rugby Union athletes. The results suggest that taking naps before away matches may support self-rated performance amongst Rugby Union athletes.

The Night-Time Sleep and Autonomic Activity of Male and Female Professional Road Cyclists Competing in the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes

“…Finally, some aspects of the cyclists’ behaviour that could influence recovery were not captured during the data collection period. For example, napping is an effective strategy when athletes’ night-time sleep is restricted [ 38 ] and some athletes do nap during competition [ 39 , 40 ], but naps were not included in the analyses in the present study. In addition, information regarding the cyclists’ nutritional intake and the use of alcohol, caffeine, supplements, and medications was not collected.…”

The night-time sleep and autonomic activity of male and female professional road cyclists competing in the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes

“…However, sleep/wake behaviours on the final night of racing may be influenced by factors other than the race (e.g., celebrations, media commitments, social demands, etc) and as such, may not accurately reflect recovery. Finally, napping is an effective strategy when athletes' night-time sleep is restricted [36], and some athletes do nap during competition [37,38], but naps were not included in the analyses in the present study.…”

Sleep and Performance in Professional Athletes

“…For example, avoidance of daytime napping is a principle of CBT-I, since daytime napping is viewed as a perpetuating factor for insomnia. However, napping is extremely common among professional athletes and is recognized as a viable, effective strategy for helping a professional athlete navigate accumulated sleep debt [82,83]. Teece and colleagues (2022) highlighted the commonality of napping in professional rugby union athletes, whereby 86% of the sample reported using naps prior to a match, with the sizeable majority also reporting that they believed naps helped their match performance [82].…”

“…However, napping is extremely common among professional athletes and is recognized as a viable, effective strategy for helping a professional athlete navigate accumulated sleep debt [82,83]. Teece and colleagues (2022) highlighted the commonality of napping in professional rugby union athletes, whereby 86% of the sample reported using naps prior to a match, with the sizeable majority also reporting that they believed naps helped their match performance [82]. As such, universally providing the recommendation of avoiding daytime naps would appear to be inappropriate in this context.…”