Prevalence of poor sleep quality, sleepiness and obstructive sleep apnoea risk factors in athletes

Swinbourne, Richard; Gill, Nicholas; Vaile, Joanna; Smart, Daniel J.

doi:10.1080/17461391.2015.1120781

Cited by 142 publications

(135 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Mild sleep-disordered breathing has been found to occur in 8% of college American footballers76 and 19% of professional American footballers 114. One in four professional ice hockey players has significant problems sleeping,77 while a study examining rugby and cricket players found 38% defined themselves as snorers 115. Athletes with high body mass index, large neck circumference or high levels of adiposity may be at a heightened risk of developing a sleep disorder 76 114.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of training and competition on the sleep of elite athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2018

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of training and competition on the sleep of elite athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2018

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“…More specifically, a small but notable number of athletes was identified with ‘restless leg symptoms’ (RLS/PLMD). The current prevalence of potential sleep disorders compares with the general population and is in accordance with previous findings among athletes (Swinbourne et al ., ; Tuomilehto et al ., ), thereby highlighting the need for sleep monitoring and potentially treatment of sleep disorders in elite athletes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self‐reported sleep quantity, quality and sleep hygiene in elite athletes

Knufinke

Nieuwenhuys

Geurts

et al. 2017

Journal of Sleep Research

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SUMMARYSleep is essential for recovery and performance in elite athletes. While actigraphy-based studies revealed suboptimal sleep in athletes, information on their subjective experience of sleep is scarce. Relatively unexplored is also the extent to which athletes' sleep is adversely affected by environmental conditions and daytime behaviours, that is sleep hygiene. This study aimed to provide insight in sleep quantity, quality and its putative association with sleep hygiene. Participants were 98 elite (youth) athletes competing at the highest (inter-)national level. Sleep quantity, quality and sleep hygiene were assessed once covering a 1-month period by using established (sub)clinical questionnaires, and repeatedly during 7 consecutive days. Sleep quality was generally healthy, although 41% of all athletes could be classified as 'poor sleeper', and 12% were identified as having a sleep disorder. Daily self-monitoring revealed sleep durations of 8:11 AE 0:45 h, but elevated wake after sleep onset of 13 AE 19 min. Sleep quality, feeling refreshed, and morning vigor were moderate at best. Regarding sleep hygiene, general measures revealed irregular sleep-wake patterns, psychological strain and activating pre-sleep behaviours. At the daily level, blue-light exposure and late-evening consumption of heavy meals were frequently reported. General sleep hygiene revealed significant associations with sleep quality (0.45 < r > 0.50; P < 0.001). Results indicate that there is ample room for optimization, specifically in onset latency and in wake after sleep onset. Subtle improvements in sleep seem possible, and optimizing sleep hygiene, such as regular sleep-wake patterns and reducing psychological strain, may facilitate this sleep upgrading process.

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“…Previous research has found that elite athletes have poor sleep quality [9,[15][16][17]. For example, more than 55% of athletes in the Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton team were flagged as being poor sleepers [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

2018

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Previous research has found that elite athletes have insufficient sleep, yet the specific kinds of sleep disturbances occurring as compared to a control group are limited. Here we compare the subjective sleep quality and chronotype of elite athletes to a control group of non-athlete good sleepers. Sixty-three winter Canadian National Team athletes (mean age 26.0 ± 0.0; 32% females) completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Athlete Morningness Eveningness Scale. They were compared to 83 healthy, non-athlete, good-sleeper controls (aged 27.3 ± 3.7; 51% females) who completed the PSQI and the Composite Scale of Morningness. The elite athletes reported poorer sleep quality (PSQI global score 5.0 ± 2.6) relative to the controls (PSQI global score 2.6 ± 1.3), despite there being no group difference in self-reported sleep duration (athletes 8.1 ± 1.0 h; controls 8.0 ± 0.7 h). Further, athletes' chronotype distribution showed a greater skew toward morningness, despite there being no group differences in self-reported usual bedtime and wake time. These results suggest that a misalignment of sleep times with circadian preference could contribute to poorer sleep quality in elite athletes.

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Prevalence of poor sleep quality, sleepiness and obstructive sleep apnoea risk factors in athletes

Abstract: These findings suggest that this cohort of team sport athletes suffer a preponderance of poor sleep quality, with associated high levels of daytime sleepiness. Athletes should receive education about how to improve sleep wake schedules, extend total sleep time and improve sleep quality.

Cited by 142 publications

References 46 publications

Effects of training and competition on the sleep of elite athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Effects of training and competition on the sleep of elite athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Self‐reported sleep quantity, quality and sleep hygiene in elite athletes

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

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