Sleep duration and quality in elite athletes measured using wristwatch actigraphy

Abstract

Sleep is known to be an important component of recovery from training, yet little is known about the quality and quantity of sleep achieved by elite athletes. The aim of the present study was to quantify sleep in elite athletes using wristwatch actigraphy. Individual nights of sleep from a cohort of Olympic athletes (n = 47) from various sports were analysed and compared to non-athletic controls (n = 20). There were significant differences between athletes and controls in all measures apart from 'time asleep' (p = 0.27), suggesting poorer characteristics of sleep in the athlete group. There was a significant effect of gender on 'time awake' (mean difference: 12 minutes higher in males; 95% likely range: 3 to 21 minutes) and 'sleep efficiency' (mean difference: 2.4 lower in males; 95% likely range: 0.1 to 4.8). Athletes showed poorer markers of sleep quality than an age and sex matched non-athletic control group (Sleep efficiency: 80.6 ± 6.4% and 88.7 ± 3.6%, respectively. Fragmentation Index: 36.0 ± 12.4 and 29.8 ± 9.0, respectively) but remained within the range for healthy sleep. This descriptive study provides novel data for the purpose of characterising sleep in elite athletes.

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

“…Previous research has reported poor sleep in elite athletes, but with limited comparisons to controls [21,34,35]. Here, we found that elite athletes, as compared to controls, experienced poorer sleep, as evidenced by degraded sleep quality, difficulty falling asleep, more sleep disturbances, greater sleep medication use, and daytime dysfunction.…”

“…Of the 37 studies included in the review, only three (8%) incorporated a control-group study design. In a comparison between 46 British Olympic athletes and 20 non-athletes based on actigraphic recordings of sleep, Leeder and co-authors documented that the athletes exhibited lower sleep efficiency due to longer sleep latencies and more wake after sleep onset [21]. Based on assessments using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Tsunoda and colleagues reported that Japanese wheelchair basketball athletes had poorer sleep quality and sleep efficiency than able-bodied non-athletes [35].…”

“…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].…”

“…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]. 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].…”

Poor precompetitive sleep habits, nutrients’ deficiencies, inappropriate body composition and athletic performance in elite gymnasts

“…Therefore, disordered sleep can negatively affect athletic performance, namely the task execution and mood states (Lastella et al, 2014a). Although it has been reported that sleep quality and quantity are usually poor prior to competition (Halson, 2014), and coping strategies are certainly required, as demonstrated in boaters, before and during a long distance race (Léger et al, 2008), few studies have evaluated sleep in athletes before a competition (Erlacher et al, 2011;Lastella et al, 2014a;Leeder, Glaister, Pizzoferro, Dawson, & Pedlar, 2012;Léger et al, 2008;Silva et al, 2012).…”