The Effect of Sleep Hygiene and Sleep Extension on Performance in Soccer Players: a Randomized Controlled Trial
Overview
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Sleep Extension
- Sponsor
- University of Maia
- Enrollment
- 33
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Sleep
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- last year
Overview
Brief Summary
Sleep is essential for recovery and performance in athletes, yet they often struggle with inadequate sleep duration and quality. Theoretically, strategies such as sleep extension and sleep hygiene could improve sleep and subsequent recovery in athletes, but their effectiveness remains largely unstudied in the literature. This study aimed to analyze the effects of sleep extension and sleep hygiene on physical and cognitive performance in soccer players.
Detailed Description
Twenty soccer players will be randomized (1:1 ratio) into intervention and control groups. The study will last 4 weeks, divided into two periods: baseline (2 weeks) and intervention (2 weeks). In the baseline period, the players will maintain their normal routine and their sleep habits will be monitored by actigraphy and sleep diaries. The players physical performance will be assessed by the 30-15 intermittent fitness test, countermovement jump, isometric mid-thigh pull and 30-meter sprint, while the cognitive performance will be assessed with the 3-minute psychomotor vigilance test. During the intervention period, the intervention group will extend their usual time in bed by 25% than their baseline period, and adopt sleep hygiene behaviors, while the control group will maintain their usual sleep routine. The physical performance of the players of both groups will be assessed with the same physical tests of the baseline period at the end of week 1 and week 2.
Investigators
Lúcio Cunha
Principal Investigator
University of Maia
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •Age: ≥18 years old
- •Sex: Male
- •Football players competed in an official competition, organized by the Portuguese Football - Federation (FPF) or regional football associations
Exclusion Criteria
- •Players who take sleep medication
- •Injured players
- •Players with clinical sleep problems
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Sleep
Time Frame: 4 weeks
Night-time sleep will be monitored each night during the data collection period using wrist-worn actigraphy devices (Actigraph LLC wGT3X-BT, Pensacola, USA). Data will be analyzed using company software (ActiLife LLC Pro software v6.13.3, Pensacola, USA). The sampling frequency will be set to 50 Hz, and the epoch of activity counts 60 s. All sleep variables will be determined using the Sadeh's algorithm
30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test
Time Frame: At the end of the baseline period (2 weeks), after one week of sleep extension and sleep hygiene (intervention period) and after two weeks of sleep extension and sleep hygiene (intervention period)
The 30-15 IFT consists of 30-second shuttle runs interspersed with 15-second periods of passive recovery. The initial running speed is set at 8 km/h for the first 30-second run and increased by 0.5 km/h for each subsequent stage. Participants ran back and forth between 2 lines 40 m apart at a pace dictated by a pre-recorded beep. During the 15-s recovery period, each player walked forward to the nearest of the 3 lines (in the middle or at one end of the running area, depending on where the previous leg was completed) in preparation for the next leg. Players were instructed to complete as many legs as possible, and the test ended when a player could no longer maintain the prescribed running speed or was unable to reach a 3-m zone around each line at the time of the audio signal on 3 consecutive occasions. If a player was unable to complete the stage, their score was recorded as the last stage they successfully completed, and their running speed was recorded as their VIFT.
Secondary Outcomes
- 30-meters sprint test(At the end of the baseline period (2 weeks), after one week of sleep extension and sleep hygiene (intervention period) and after two weeks of sleep extension and sleep hygiene (intervention period))
- Countermovement jump (CMJ)(At the end of the baseline period (2 weeks), after one week of sleep extension and sleep hygiene (intervention period) and after two weeks of sleep extension and sleep hygiene (intervention period))
- Isometric Mid-thigh pull (IMTP)(At the end of the baseline period (2 weeks), after one week of sleep extension and sleep hygiene (intervention period) and after two weeks of sleep extension and sleep hygiene (intervention period))
- 3-min Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT)(At the end of the baseline period (2 weeks), after one week of sleep extension and sleep hygiene (intervention period) and after two weeks of sleep extension and sleep hygiene (intervention period))