Evidence of sub-optimal sleep in adolescent Middle Eastern academy soccer players which is exacerbated by sleep intermission proximal to dawn^†

^†The research was conducted at ASPETAR – Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Athlete Health and Performance Research Centre, Doha, Qatar; and Football Excellence Project, ASPETAR – Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar.

Abstract

The purpose was to assess sleep patterns, quantity and quality in adolescent (16.2 ± 1.2 yr) Middle Eastern academy soccer players (n = 20) and the influence of an intermission upon these characteristics. On a 17-day training camp (located one time zone west of home) including three discrete matches, sleep was assessed pre- (PRE) and post-match (POST) via wrist actigraphy. Retrospective actigraphy analysis identified sleep characteristics, including if players experienced a sleep intermission (YES) or not (NO) proximal to dawn, and bedtime (hh:mm), get-up time (hh:mm), time in bed (h), sleep duration (h) and sleep efficiency (%). Within YES two bouts were identified (BOUT1 and BOUT2). No differences were seen between PRE and POST, nor between BOUT1 and BOUT2 (p > .05). Overall players did not meet National Sleep Foundation (NSF) guidelines (7:04 ± 1:16 h vs. recommended 8–10 h for 14–17 yr). Sleep duration was significantly reduced (∼ −13% or −1:06) in YES compared to NO (6:33 ± 1:05 vs. 7:29 ± 1:17, p < .01). Despite players in YES waking earlier due to an intermission, they did not compensate for this with a later wake time, rising significantly earlier compared to NO (09:40 ± 00:38 vs. 10:13 ± 00:40, p < .05). These players on average do not obtain sufficient sleep durations relative to NSF guidelines, with decrements increased by an intermission proximal to dawn. High inter- and intra-individual variance in the players sleep characteristics indicates the need for individualized sleep education strategies and interventions to promote appropriate sleep.

Keywords:

• Team sport
• ethnicity
• health
• recovery
• youth

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the players and their support network, the training camp provider, the Director of the Aspetar Football Excellence Project Dr George Nassis and the requisite football club. Each author contributed to experimental design, data collection and data analysis, manuscript drafting and agreed to the submitted version of the manuscript.

Notes

^† The research was conducted at ASPETAR – Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Athlete Health and Performance Research Centre, Doha, Qatar; and Football Excellence Project, ASPETAR – Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Doha, Qatar.