Influence of Perceptions of Sleep on Well-Being in Youth Athletes

Sawczuk, T, Jones, B, Scantlebury, S, and Till, K. Influence of perceptions of sleep on well-being in youth athletes. J Strength Cond Res 35(4): 1066-1073, 2021-To date, most research considering well-being questionnaires has only considered the training stress imposed on the athlete, without evaluating the questionnaire's relationship with a measure of recovery (e.g., sleep). This study aimed to assess the influence of sleep duration (Sduration), sleep quality (Squality), and sleep index (Sindex; Sduration × Squality) on well-being in youth athletes, while accounting for the known training stressors of training load and exposure to match play. Forty-eight youth athletes (age 17.3 ± 0.5 years) completed a daily questionnaire including well-being (DWBno-sleep; fatigue, muscle soreness, stress, and mood) measures, Perceived Recovery Status Scale (PRS), the previous day's training loads, Sduration, and Squality every day for 13 weeks. Linear mixed models assessed the impact of Sduration, Squality, and Sindex on DWBno-sleep, its individual subscales, and PRS. Sduration had a small effect on DWBno-sleep (d = 0.31; ±0.09), fatigue (d = 0.42; ±0.11), and PRS (d = 0.25; ±0.09). Squality had a small effect on DWBno-sleep (d = 0.47; ±0.08), fatigue (d = 0.53; ±0.11), stress (d = 0.35; ±0.07), mood (d = 0.41; ±0.09), and PRS (d = 0.37; ±0.08). Sindex had a small effect on DWBno-sleep (d = 0.44; ±0.08), fatigue (d = 0.55; ±0.11), stress (d = 0.29; ±0.07), mood (d = 0.37; ±0.09), and PRS (d = 0.36; ±0.09). The results indicate that an athlete's perceptions of sleep are associated with deviations in well-being measures and should be used as an input to the monitoring process rather than as part of the outcome well-being score. The sleep index is suggested as a potential input because it provides information on both the duration and quality of the sleep experienced.