Sleep, health, and well-being in elite athletes from different sports, before, during, and after international competition

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Limited research has been conducted on sleep problems in elite athletes at international competition, and how this relates to their general health and well-being. Methods: Sixty-five elite international athletes (37 males, 28 females, 21.8 ± 2.1 years) from different sports completed validated sleep (Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire), health (Subjective Health Complaints Inventory) and well-being (Sports Profile of Mood States) questionnaires; 1 month pre-competition, at the end of international competition, and 1 month post-competition. Results: Twenty-three percent of the elite athletes were identified as having a moderate or severe clinically significant sleep problem during competition, with 82% reporting less than 8 h of sleep per night. Athletes with a moderate or severe clinically significant sleep problem during competition had significantly greater general health complaints (p = 0.002), mood disturbance (p = 0.001) and poorer sleep hygiene (p = 0.002). Swimmers had more sleep difficulty pre and during competition compared to athletics and soccer (p = 0.009). Conclusion: Sleep disturbance during international competition is common and associated with poorer health and lower mood. Swimmers may be more at risk of sleep difficulty pre and during competition compared to those competing in athletics and soccer. Sleep services may be required to support elite athletes at international competition.

KEYWORDS:

• Sleep disturbance
• elite athletes
• competition
• swimming

Acknowledgments

Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library.

The authors wish to acknowledge Student Sport Ireland and the Irish athletes at the 2017 World University Games for their time and participation in this research project.

Declaration of interest

The authors whose names are listed immediately below certify that they have no conflict of interest to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded in part by the School of Allied Health, University of Limerick.