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Routine, Routine, Routine: Sleep Regularity and its Association with Sleep Metrics in Professional Rugby Union
Angus Teece1,2, Christopher Martyn Beaven1, Haresh Suppiah3
1Te Huataki Waiora School of Health, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.
Sports Medicine - Open
|May 9, 2024
Summary
Maintaining consistent sleep and wake times, measured by the sleep regularity index (SRI), significantly boosts total sleep duration in elite rugby players. Regular sleep patterns are crucial for optimizing athlete performance and recovery.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Sleep Medicine
- Chronobiology
Background:
- Consistent sleep-wake schedules are vital for circadian rhythm and sleep quality.
- The impact of sleep timing variability on elite athletes' sleep outcomes is under-researched.
- This study examines sleep regularity and its association with sleep and well-being in professional rugby players.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between sleep onset and offset time variability, assessed by the sleep regularity index (SRI).
- To determine the impact of sleep regularity on sleep duration, efficiency, and well-being in professional male rugby union athletes.
- To provide evidence for incorporating sleep-wake routine interventions in athlete education.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-three professional male rugby union athletes participated during a three-week pre-season training phase.
- Sleep monitoring was conducted using wrist actigraphy.
- Athletes completed daily wellness questionnaires, and their median sleep regularity index (SRI) was calculated to classify them into regular (>76.4 SRI) and irregular (<76.4 SRI) sleep groups.
Main Results:
- Athletes in the regular sleep group achieved significantly longer total sleep duration (7:42 ± 0:29 h:min) compared to the irregular group (7:18 ± 0:20 h:min).
- The regular sleep group exhibited a trend towards greater sleep efficiency and fewer wake episodes, with moderate effect sizes.
- These findings suggest a positive association between sleep regularity and key sleep parameters in elite athletes.
Conclusions:
- Minimizing variability in sleep onset and offset times benefits sleep duration and potentially sleep efficiency in elite male rugby union athletes during pre-season.
- Establishing consistent sleep-wake routines is crucial for optimizing sleep in athletes.
- Sleep regularity should be a core component of sleep education programs for athletes to enhance performance and recovery.
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