Prevalence and risk factors of sleep disorders in visually impaired athletes

The present study clarified the prevalence and risk factors of sleep disorders in visually impaired athletes.

A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted with 99 visually impaired athletes engaged in the following Paralympic sport events: track and field (marathon), goalball, swimming, blind soccer, and judo. Eighty-one respondents (male: 72.8%; average age: 32.5 ± 12.0 years) who completed the survey were chosen for analyses. Survey items were attributes [age, gender, body mass index, and condition of visual impairment (athletic classification and causing time of disability)], lifestyle habits (bedtime, wake-up time, drinking alcohol, meals, and use of electronics after lights out), competition activities (sports time per week, morning and evening practices, and competition stressors), psychological distress, and sleep disorders [recorded using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)]. First, the prevalence of the respondents having sleep disorders (scored 5.5 points or more in the PSQI) was investigated. Then, the relations between attributes, lifestyle habits, competition activities, psychological distress, and sleep disorders were explored using logistic regression analysis.

Twenty-six respondents (32.1%) had sleep disorders. Results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that "interpersonal relationship stressors" and "wake-up time" were independently related to sleep disorders.

Approximately one-third of visually impaired athletes were shown to have sleep disorders. High interpersonal relationship stressors and late wake-up time may be risk factors of their sleep disorders.