Evaluating the reliability of the athlete sleep behavior questionnaire (ASBQ): a meta-analysis of Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient.

BACKGROUND: The Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire (ASBQ) was designed to identify maladaptive sleep practices among athletes. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the internal consistency and the test-retest reliability coefficients of the ASBQ. METHODS: A systematic search across 10 databases from inception of the ASBQ to August 2023 was performed. Publications that reported estimates of internal consistency and/or test-retest reliability of the ASBQ were included. A random-effects model was employed to estimate the overall reliability measures of the ASBQ. RESULTS: Meta-analytic results demonstrated a good level of internal consistency within the ASBQ, evidenced by a Cronbach's alpha of 0.73 (95% CI: 0.63 to 0.80). This suggests a modest correlation among the questionnaire items, supporting its reliability as an effective measure of sleep behavior. In terms of test-retest reliability, our meta-analysis revealed a very good degree of consistency (ICC = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.87 to 0.89), suggesting that the ASBQ can serve as an instrument for monitoring and evaluating changes in athletes' sleep behavior over time. No evidence of publication bias was identified. CONCLUSION: While the ASBQ demonstrates a moderate level of internal consistency, its test-retest reliability suggests that it can serve as an instrument for longitudinal assessments of athletes' sleep behavior. Future studies focusing on refining the ASBQ to optimize its internal consistency and validate its applicability across diverse athletic populations are warranted.

Daytime naps improve afternoon power and perceptual measures in elite rugby union athletes-a randomized cross-over trial.

Daytime naps are used by elite athletes in both training and match-day settings. Currently, there are limited interventional studies on the efficacy of napping on physical performance in elite team-sport athletes. Therefore, the objective was to investigate the effect of a daytime nap (<1 hour) on afternoon performance of peak power, reaction time, self-reported wellness, and aerobic performance in professional rugby union athletes. A randomized cross-over design was carried out among 15 professional rugby union athletes. Athletes performed nap (NAP) and no nap (CON) conditions on two occasions, separated by 1 week. Baseline testing of reaction time, self-reported wellness, and a 6-second peak power test on a cycle ergometer were completed in the morning, followed by 2 × 45-minute training sessions, after which athletes completed the NAP or CON condition at 1200 hours. Following the nap period, baseline measures were retested in addition to a 30-minute fixed-intensity interval cycle and a 4-minute maximal effort cycling test. A significant group × time interaction was determined for 6-second peak power output (+157.6 W, p < 0.01, d = 1.53), perceived fatigue (-0.2 AU, p = 0.01, d = 0.37), and muscle soreness (-0.1 AU, p = 0.04, d = 0.75) in favor of the NAP condition. A significantly lower perceived exertion rating (-1.2 AU, p < 0.01, d = 1.72) was recorded for the fixed-intensity session in favor of NAP. This study highlights that utilizing daytime naps between training sessions on the same day improved afternoon peak power and lowered perceptions of fatigue, soreness, and exertion during afternoon training in professional rugby union athletes.

Operation early-bird: Investigating altered light exposure in military barracks on sleep and performance-a placebo-controlled study.

The manipulation of light exposure in the evening has been shown to modulate sleep, and may be beneficial in a military setting where sleep is reported to be problematic. This study investigated the efficacy of low-temperature lighting on objective sleep measures and physical performance in military trainees. Sixty-four officer-trainees (52 male/12 female, mean ± SD age: 25 ± 5 years) wore wrist-actigraphs for 6 weeks during military training to quantify sleep metrics. Trainee 2.4-km run time and upper-body muscular-endurance were assessed before and after the training course. Participants were randomly assigned to either: low-temperature lighting (LOW, n = 19), standard-temperature lighting with a placebo "sleep-enhancing" device (PLA, n = 17), or standard-temperature lighting (CON, n = 28) groups in their military barracks for the duration of the course. Repeated-measures ANOVAs were run to identify significant differences with post hoc analyses and effect size calculations performed where indicated. No significant interaction effect was observed for the sleep metrics; however, there was a significant effect of time for average sleep duration, and small benefits of LOW when compared with CON (d = 0.41-0.44). A significant interaction was observed for the 2.4-km run, with the improvement in LOW (Δ92.3 s) associated with a large improvement when compared with CON (Δ35.9 s; p = 0.003; d = 0.95 ± 0.60), but not PLA (Δ68.6 s). Similarly, curl-up improvement resulted in a moderate effect in favour of LOW (Δ14 repetitions) compared with CON (Δ6; p = 0.063; d = 0.68 ± 0.72). Chronic exposure to low-temperature lighting was associated with benefits to aerobic fitness across a 6-week training period, with minimal effects on sleep measures.

Pyjamas, Polysomnography and Professional Athletes: The Role of Sleep Tracking Technology in Sport.

Technological advances in sleep monitoring have seen an explosion of devices used to gather important sleep metrics. These devices range from instrumented 'smart pyjamas' through to at-home polysomnography devices. Alongside these developments in sleep technologies, there have been concomitant increases in sleep monitoring in athletic populations, both in the research and in practical settings. The increase in sleep monitoring in sport is likely due to the increased knowledge of the importance of sleep in the recovery process and performance of an athlete, as well as the well-reported challenges that athletes can face with their sleep. This narrative review will discuss: (1) the importance of sleep to athletes; (2) the various wearable tools and technologies being used to monitor sleep in the sport setting; (3) the role that sleep tracking devices may play in gathering information about sleep; (4) the reliability and validity of sleep tracking devices; (5) the limitations and cautions associated with sleep trackers; and, (6) the use of sleep trackers to guide behaviour change in athletes. We also provide some practical recommendations for practitioners working with athletes to ensure that the selection of such devices and technology will meet the goals and requirements of the athlete.

A Contactless App-Based Intervention to Improve Health Behaviors in Airline Pilots: A Randomized Trial.

INTRODUCTION: There is a need for enhanced preventive health care among airline pilots to mitigate the prevalence of cardiometabolic health risk factors. STUDY DESIGN: A randomized, waitlist-controlled trial was utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of a smartphone-based app intervention for improving health behaviors and cardiometabolic health parameters. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: A total of 186 airline pilots (aged 43.2±9.1 years; male, 64%) were recruited and participated in the trial during 2022. INTERVENTION: This intervention was a personalized, 16-week smartphone-based app multicomponent physical activity, healthy eating, and sleep hygiene intervention. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measures of objective health (Cooper's 12-minute exercise test, resting heart rate, push ups, plank isometric hold, body mass), subjective health (self-rated health, perceived psychological stress and fatigue), and health behaviors (weekly physical activity, sleep quality and duration, fruit and vegetable intake) were collected at baseline and after intervention. The waitlist control completed the same measures. RESULTS: Significant interactions for time Χ group from baseline to 16 weeks were found for all outcome measures (p<0.001). Significant between-group differences for positive health changes in favor of the intervention group were found after intervention for all outcome measures (p<0.05, d=0.4-1.0) except for self-rated health, body mass, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings show that an app-based health behavior intervention can elicit positive cardiometabolic health changes among airline pilots over 16 weeks, associated with trivial to large effect sizes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial protocol was prospectively registered at The Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12622000288729).

Heating Up to Keep Cool: Benefits and Persistence of a Practical Heat Acclimation Protocol in Elite Female Olympic Team-Sport Athletes.

PURPOSE: Although recommendations for effective heat acclimation (HA) strategies for many circumstances exist, best-practice HA protocols specific to elite female team-sport athletes are yet to be established. Therefore, the authors aimed to investigate the effectiveness and retention of a passive HA protocol integrated in a female Olympic rugby sevens team training program. METHODS: Twelve elite female rugby sevens athletes undertook 10 days of passive HA across 2 training weeks. Tympanic temperature (TTymp), sweat loss, heart rate, and repeated 6-second cycling sprint performance were assessed using a sport-specific heat stress test Pre-HA, after 3 days (Mid-HA), after 10 days (Post-HA), and 15 days post-HA (Decay). RESULTS: Compared with Pre-HA, submaximal TTymp was lower Mid-HA and Post-HA (both by -0.2 [0.7] °C; d ≥ 0.71), while resting TTymp was lower Post-HA (by -0.3 [0.2] °C; d = 0.81). There were no differences in TTymp at Decay compared with Pre-HA, nor were there any differences in heart rate or sweat loss at any time points. Mean peak 6-second power output improved Mid-HA and Post-HA (76 [36] W; 75 [34] W, respectively; d ≥ 0.45) compared with Pre-HA. The observed performance improvement persisted at Decay by 65 (45) W (d = 0.41). CONCLUSIONS: Ten days of passive HA can elicit some thermoregulatory and performance benefits when integrated into a training program in elite female team-sport athletes. However, such a protocol does not provide a sufficient thermal impulse for thermoregulatory adaptations to be retained after 15 days with no further heat stimulus.

Comparing Perceived Sleep Quality, Practices, and Behaviors of Male and Female Elite Rugby Union Athletes with the Use of Sleep Questionnaires.

Objective To evaluate the differences in subjective sleep quality, quantity, and behaviors among male and female elite rugby union athletes through two common sleep questionnaires. Materials and Methods A sample of 38 male and 27 female elite rugby union athletes filled out the Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire (ASBQ) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Global scores and individual items for each questionnaire were compared to assess differences between sexes. Results Male athletes reported significantly longer sleep duration (7 h 50 m ± 50 m versus 7h 12 m ± 58 m respectively; p ≤ 0.01; d = 0.70) and higher habitual sleep efficiency (88% versus 83% respectively; p < 0.05; d = 0.54) when compared with female athletes. Individual items of the ASBQ revealed significant differences between male and female athletes for five questions. Male athletes displayed higher instances of taking stimulants before training or competition and consuming alcohol within 4 hours of going to bed. Conversely, female athletes expressed greater thought or worry while in bed and a higher instance of training late at night. Discussion Male athletes displayed better self-reported sleep quality and quantity than female athletes; however, the present study highlighted that male and female elite rugby union athletes face specific challenges that differ. It appears that the differences observed between male and female elite rugby union athletes may be due to differing levels of professionalism or differences in training or competition schedules.

Critical Power, Work Capacity, and Recovery Characteristics of Team-Pursuit Cyclists.

PURPOSE: Leading a 4-km team pursuit (TP) requires high-intensity efforts above critical power (CP) that deplete riders' finite work capacity (W'), whereas riders following in the aerodynamic draft may experience some recovery due to reduced power demands. This study aimed to determine how rider ability and CP and W' measures impact TP performance and the extent to which W' can reconstitute during recovery positions in a TP race. METHODS: Three TP teams, each consisting of 4 males, completed individual performance tests to determine their CP and W'. Teams were classified based on their performance level as international (INT), national (NAT), or regional (REG). Each team performed a TP on an indoor velodrome (INT: 3:49.9; NAT: 3:56.7; and REG: 4:05.4; min:s). Ergometer-based TP simulations with an open-ended interval to exhaustion were performed to measure individual ability to reconstitute W' at 25 to 100 W below CP. RESULTS: The INT team possessed higher CP (407 [4] W) than both NAT (381 [13] W) and REG (376 [15] W) (P < .05), whereas W' was similar between teams (INT: 27.2 [2.8] kJ; NAT: 29.3 [2.4] kJ; and REG: 28.8 [1.6] kJ; P > .05). The INT team expended 104% (5%) of their initial W' during the TP and possessed faster rates of recovery than NAT and REG at 25 and 50 W below CP (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The CP and rate of W' reconstitution have a greater impact on TP performance than W' magnitude and can differentiate TP performance level.

A Strategy to Inform Athlete Sleep Support From Questionnaire Data and Its Application in an Elite Athlete Cohort.

PURPOSE: Information from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire (ASBQ) provide the ability to identify the sleep disturbances experienced by athletes and their associated athlete-specific challenges that cause these disturbances. However, determining the appropriate support strategy to optimize the sleep habits and characteristics of large groups of athletes can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. The purpose of this study was to characterize the sleep profiles of elite athletes to optimize sleep-support strategies and present a novel R package, AthSlpBehaviouR, to aid practitioners with athlete sleep monitoring and support efforts. METHODS: PSQI and ASBQ data were collected from a cohort of 412 elite athletes across 27 sports through an electronic survey. A k-means cluster analysis was employed to characterize the unique sleep-characteristic typologies based on PSQI and ASBQ component scores. RESULTS: Three unique clusters were identified and qualitatively labeled based on the z scores of the PSQI components and ASBQ components: cluster 1, "high-priority; poor overall sleep characteristics + behavioral-focused support"; cluster 2, "medium-priority, sleep disturbances + routine/environment-focused support"; and cluster 3, "low-priority; acceptable sleep characteristics + general support." CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study highlight the practical utility of an unsupervised learning approach to perform clustering on questionnaire data to inform athlete sleep-support recommendations. Practitioners can consider using the AthSlpBehaviouR package to adopt a similar approach in athlete sleep screening and support provision.

Investigating the sleep habits in individual and team-sport athletes using the Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.

Objectives: There is limited large-scale data on maladaptive sleep practices in elite adult athletes and their influence on sleep characteristics. This study aimed to identify differences in sleep behaviours between individual and team-sport athletes using two sleep questionnaires. Material and Methods: 407 (237 male, 170 female) elite adult athletes across sixteen sports (9 individual-sports, 7 team-sports) completed the Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire (ASBQ) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results: Individual-sport athletes reported greater total sleep time and higher sleep efficiency than team-sport athletes (p<0.05, d=0.28-0.29). There were no differences between global scores for the PSQI, however, there was a difference between global scores for the ASBQ as well as multiple individual items from both questionnaires (p<0.05), indicating poorer behaviours in team-sport athletes. Discussion: Team-sport athletes displayed more maladaptive pre-sleep behaviours and poorer sleep characteristics than individual-sport athletes.

Kinematics of recreational male runners in "super", minimalist and habitual shoes.

We conducted an exploratory analysis to compare running kinematics of 16 male recreational runners wearing Nike Vaporfly 4% (VP4), Saucony Endorphin racing flat (FLAT), and their habitual (OWN) footwear. We also explored potential relationships between kinematic and physiological changes. Runners (age: 33 ± 12 y, V˙ O2peak: 55.2 ± 4.3 ml · kg-1·min-1) attended 3 sessions after completing an V˙ O2peak test in which sagittal plane 3D kinematics at submaximal running speeds (60%, 70% and 80% ʋ V˙ O2peak) were collected alongside economy measures. Kinematics were compared using notched boxplots, and between-shoe kinematic differences were plotted against between-shoe economy differences. Across intensities, VP4 involved longer flight times (6.7 to 10.0 ms) and lower stance hip range of motion (~3°), and greater vertical pelvis displacement than FLAT (~0.4 cm). Peak dorsiflexion angles (~2°), ankle range of motion (1.0° to 3.9°), and plantarflexion velocities (11.3 to 89.0 deg · sec-1) were greatest in FLAT and lowest in VP4. Foot-ground angles were smaller in FLAT (2.5° to 3.6°). Select kinematic variables were moderately related to economy, with higher step frequencies and shorter step lengths in VP4 and FLAT associated with improved economy versus OWN. Footwear changes from OWN altered running kinematics. The most pronounced differences were observed in ankle, spatiotemporal, and foot-ground angle variables.

Investigating the Use of an Intermittent Sequential Pneumatic Compression Arm Sleeve for Recovery After Upper-Body Exercise.

ABSTRACT: Cranston, AW and Driller, MW. Investigating the use of an intermittent sequential pneumatic compression arm sleeve for recovery after upper-body exercise. J Strength Cond Res 36(6): 1548-1553, 2022-The current study aimed to investigate the efficacy of an intermittent sequential pneumatic compression (ISPC) device placed on the arm after a fatiguing upper-body exercise circuit. Fifty resistance-trained athletes (37 males/13 females, mean ± SD; age = 27 ± 4 years) performed 3 physical performance tests (grip strength dynamometer, single-arm medicine ball throw, and preacher bench bicep curls to failure) before and after exercise, following a 30-minute recovery period. During the recovery period, subjects were randomly assigned an experimental arm, which was placed in the ISPC device, and a control arm (no device). Subjects completed a perceptual muscle soreness rating through palpation of 4 muscle groups in the upper body at the same time points and also 24 hours after recovery. There was a statistically significant interaction between conditions for the single-arm medicine ball throw (p < 0.01) in favor of the ISPC after the recovery period; however, the effect size was deemed trivial. There was a small but not statistically significant effect (d = 0.22, p > 0.05) for the bicep curls in favor of the ISPC and no significant difference for the grip strength (d = 0.09, p > 0.05). The perceptual muscle soreness scales resulted in significant differences between conditions immediately after and 24 hours after exercise across all muscle groups (p < 0.05), all in favor of the ISPC condition. This study supports the use of an upper-body ISPC device to reduce perceived muscle soreness for up to 24 hours after exercise, with negligible effects on physical performance when compared with a control trial.

Under Pressure: The Chronic Effects of Lower-Body Compression Garment Use during a 6-Week Military Training Course.

Background: Previous studies have shown that compression garments may aid recovery in acute settings; however, less is known about the long-term use of compression garments (CG) for recovery. This study aimed to assess the influence of wearing CG on changes in physical performance, subjective soreness, and sleep quality over 6 weeks of military training. Methods: Fifty-five officer-trainees aged 24 ± 6 y from the New Zealand Defence Force participated in the current study. Twenty-seven participants wore CG every evening for 4−6 h, and twenty-eight wore standard military attire (CON) over a 6-week period. Subjective questionnaires (soreness and sleep quality) were completed weekly, and 2.4 km run time-trial, maximum press-ups, and curl-ups were tested before and after the 6 weeks of military training. Results: Repeated measures ANOVA indicated no significant group × time interactions for performance measures (p > 0.05). However, there were small effects in favour of CG over CON for improvements in 2.4 km run times (d = −0.24) and press-ups (d = 0.36), respectively. Subjective soreness also resulted in no significant group × time interaction but displayed small to moderate effects for reduced soreness in favour of CG. Conclusions: Though not statistically significant, CG provided small to moderate benefits to muscle-soreness and small benefits to aspects of physical-performance over a 6-week military training regime.

Predicting Youth Athlete Sleep Quality and the Development of a Translational Tool to Inform Practitioner Decision Making.

BACKGROUND: Identifying key variables that predict sleep quality in youth athletes allows practitioners to monitor the most parsimonious set of variables that can improve athlete buy-in and compliance for athlete self-report measurement. Translating these findings into a decision-making tool could facilitate practitioner willingness to monitor sleep in athletes. HYPOTHESIS: Key predictor variables, identified by feature reduction techniques, will lead to higher predictive accuracy in determining youth athletes with poor sleep quality. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3. METHODS: A group (N = 115) of elite youth athletes completed questionnaires consisting of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and questions on sport participation, training, sleep environment, and sleep hygiene habits. A least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression model was used for feature reduction and to select factors to train a feature-reduced sleep quality classification model. These were compared with a classification model utilizing the full feature set. RESULTS: Sport type, training before 8 am, training hours per week, presleep computer usage, presleep texting or calling, prebedtime reading, and during-sleep time checks on digital devices were identified as variables of greatest influence on sleep quality and used for the reduced feature set modeling. The reduced feature set model performed better (area under the curve, 0.80; sensitivity, 0.57; specificity, 0.80) than the full feature set models in classifying youth athlete sleep quality. CONCLUSION: The findings of our study highlight that sleep quality of elite youth athletes is best predicted by specific sport participation, training, and sleep hygiene habits. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Education and interventions around the training and sleep hygiene factors that were identified to most influence the sleep quality of youth athletes could be prioritized to optimize their sleep characteristics. The developed sleep quality nomogram may be useful as a decision-making tool to improve sleep monitoring practice among practitioners.

Metabolic and performance responses of male runners wearing 3 types of footwear: Nike Vaporfly 4%, Saucony Endorphin racing flats, and their own shoes.

PURPOSE: We compared running economy (RE) and 3-km time-trial (TT) variables of runners wearing Nike Vaporfly 4% (VP4), Saucony Endorphin lightweight racing flats (FLAT), and their habitual running (OWN) footwear. METHODS: Eighteen male recreational runners (age = 33.5 ± 11.9 year (mean ± SD), peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) = 55.8 ± 4.4 mL/kg·min) attended 4 sessions approximately 7 days apart. The first session consisted of a VO2peak test to inform subsequent RE speeds set at 60%, 70%, and 80% of the speed eliciting VO2peak. In subsequent sessions, treadmill RE and 3-km TTs were assessed in the 3 footwear conditions in a randomized, counterbalanced crossover design. RESULTS: Oxygen consumption (mL/kg·min) was less in VP4 (from 4.3% to 4.4%, p ≤ 0.002) and FLAT (from 2.7% to 3.4%, p ≤ 0.092) vs. OWN across intensities, with a non-significant difference between VP4 and FLAT (1.0%-1.7%, p ≥ 0.292). Findings related to energy cost (W/kg) and energetics cost of transport (J/kg·m) were comparable. VP4 3-km TT performance (11:07.6 ± 0:56.6 mm:ss) was enhanced vs. OWN by 16.6 s (2.4%, p = 0.005) and vs. FLAT by 13.0 s (1.8%, p = 0.032). The 3-km times between OWN and FLAT (0.5%, p = 0.747) were similar. Most runners (n = 11, 61%) ran their fastest TT in VP4. CONCLUSION: Overall, VP4 improved laboratory-based RE measures in male recreational runners at relative speeds compared to OWN, but the RE improvements in VP4 were not significant vs. FLAT. More runners exhibited better treadmill TT performances in VP4 (61%) vs. FLAT (22%) and OWN (17%). The variability in RE (-10.3% to 13.3%) and TT (-4.7% to 9.3%) improvements suggests that responses to different types of shoes are individualized and warrant further investigation.

Managing Travel Fatigue and Jet Lag in Athletes: A Review and Consensus Statement.

Athletes are increasingly required to travel domestically and internationally, often resulting in travel fatigue and jet lag. Despite considerable agreement that travel fatigue and jet lag can be a real and impactful issue for athletes regarding performance and risk of illness and injury, evidence on optimal assessment and management is lacking. Therefore 26 researchers and/or clinicians with knowledge in travel fatigue, jet lag and sleep in the sports setting, formed an expert panel to formalise a review and consensus document. This manuscript includes definitions of terminology commonly used in the field of circadian physiology, outlines basic information on the human circadian system and how it is affected by time-givers, discusses the causes and consequences of travel fatigue and jet lag, and provides consensus on recommendations for managing travel fatigue and jet lag in athletes. The lack of evidence restricts the strength of recommendations that are possible but the consensus group identified the fundamental principles and interventions to consider for both the assessment and management of travel fatigue and jet lag. These are summarised in travel toolboxes including strategies for pre-flight, during flight and post-flight. The consensus group also outlined specific steps to advance theory and practice in these areas.

Sleep duration and physical performance during a 6-week military training course.

Sleep is vital in influencing effective training adaptations in the military. This study aimed to assess the relationship between sleep and changes in physical performance over 6 weeks of military training. A total of 22 officer-trainees (age: 24 ± 5 years) from the New Zealand Defence Force were used for this prospective cohort study. Participants wore wrist-actigraphs to monitor sleep, completed subjective wellbeing questionnaires weekly, and were tested for: 2.4-km run time-trial, maximum press-up and curl-ups before and after 6 weeks of training. Average sleep duration was calculated over 36 nights (6:10 ± 0:28 hr:min), and sleep duration at the mid-point (6:15 hr:min) was used to stratify the trainees into two quantile groups (UNDERS: 5:51 ± 0:29 hr:min, n = 11) and (OVERS: 6:27 ± 0:09 hr:min, n = 11). There were no significant group × time interactions for 2.4-km run, press-ups or curl-ups (p > .05); however, small effects were observed in favour of OVERS for 2.4-km run (59.8 versus 44.9 s; d = 0.26) and press-ups (4.7 versus 3.2 reps; d = 0.45). Subjective wellbeing scores resulted in a significant group × time interaction (p < .05), with large effect sizes in favour of the OVERS group for Fatigue in Week 1 (d = 0.90) and Week 3 (d = 0.87), and Soreness in Week 3 (d = 1.09) and Week 4 (d = 0.95). Sleeping more than 6:15 hr:min per night over 6 weeks was associated with small benefits to aspects of physical performance, and moderate to large benefits on subjective wellbeing measures when compared with sleeping < 6:15 hr:min.

Sleep and Performance during a Preseason in Elite Rugby Union Athletes.

BACKGROUND: Preseason training optimises adaptations in the physical qualities required in rugby union athletes. Sleep can be compromised during periods of intensified training. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between sleep quantity and changes in physical performance over a preseason phase in professional rugby union athletes. METHODS: Twenty-nine professional rugby union athletes (Mean ± SD, age: 23 ± 3 years) had their sleep duration monitored for 3 weeks using wrist actigraphy. Strength and speed were assessed at baseline and at week 3. Aerobic capacity and body composition were assessed at baseline, at week 3 and at week 5. Participants were stratified into 2 groups for analysis: <7 h 30 min sleep per night (LOW, n = 15) and >7 h 30 min sleep per night (HIGH, n = 14). RESULTS: A significant group x time interaction was determined for aerobic capacity (p = 0.02, d = 1.25) at week 3 and for skinfolds at week 3 (p < 0.01, d = 0.58) and at week 5 (p = 0.02, d = 0.92), in favour of the HIGH sleep group. No differences were evident between groups for strength or speed measures (p ≥ 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study highlights that longer sleep duration during the preseason may assist in enhancing physical qualities including aerobic capacity and body composition in elite rugby union athletes.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Brazilian version of the Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire.

INTRODUCTION: Considering the specificity of the sporting context and the influence of sleep on athletic performance, the "athlete sleep behavior questionnare" (ASBQ) was developed to evaluate sleep behavior in English-speaking athletes. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to perform a cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the ASBQ in Brazilian athletes. METHODS: The cross-cultural adaptation was processed by procedures of translation and back-translation. Content validity was performed by 9 experts, calculating the coefficient of content validity for the equivalence of the individual items (Cvci) and the total global score (Cvct), in addition we conducted a pilot study using the translated version of the questionnaire. The next phase of the study included 52 athletes completing the translated ASBQ. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM) and by Cronbach's alpha (α). RESULTS: The ASBQ passed the process of cross-cultural adaptation, obtaining the Brazilian Version of the ASBQ (ASBQ-BR), and with acceptable values of Cvci (0.89-1.00) and Cvct (0.96). Additionally, the ASBQ-BR showed acceptable values of reliability (ICC=0.857; Cronbach's α=0.78) and a SEM of 3.05 AU. CONCLUSION: The ASBQ was translated to a newly developed ASBQ-BR, resulting in acceptable values for content validity and reliability. The ASBQ-BR provides a valuable tool for monitoring sleep behaviors in Brazilian athletes.

No familiarization or 'first-night effect' evident when monitoring sleep using wrist actigraphy.

Anecdotal reports suggest that the first night of sleep monitoring using a wrist-actigraphy monitor may result in impaired sleep when compared to subsequent nights, due to increased levels of anxiety and awareness of being monitored. This phenomenon has been seen in sleep laboratories with polysomnographic monitoring. However, this is yet to be established for wrist actigraphy monitoring in the research literature. A total of 240 healthy adult participants (177 male, 63 female; age range, 18-35 years) had their sleep monitored using wrist actigraphy over a period of five nights of 'normal' sleep (1,200 nights of data). Sleep variables including sleep latency, wake episodes, wake after sleep onset, awakenings per hour, time in bed, total sleep time and sleep efficiency % were evaluated across all nights of sleep. Comparisons were made using repeated measures ANOVAs, mean differences, range of mean differences, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Cohen's d effect sizes. There were no significant differences between the first night and subsequent nights for any of the measured sleep variables (p < .05) and all differences were associated with trivial effect sizes (d < 0.2). ICCs ranged from 0.35 to 0.62 (low to moderate). Despite claims of impaired sleep during the first night of sleep monitoring, our results indicate that a familiarization period may not be necessary when monitoring sleep in healthy participants using wrist actigraphy. However, the response is highly individual and further research is required to assess personality traits and responses to sleep monitoring.