P-21 Subjective sleep quality in elite womens international soccer players prior to an international match

• Published in: British journal of sports medicine Vol. 50; no. Suppl 1; p. A42
• Main Authors: McKenna, Michael M, White, Andrew D, Boyce, Stephen H, Davies, Oliver GD, Dixon, Mark W, Elliott, Niall
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group LTD 01.11.2016
• Subjects: Hotels & motels; Sleep deprivation; Soccer
• ISSN: 0306-3674; 1473-0480
• DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-097120.74

AimSleep has been found to have many recuperative and restorative effects on an athlete’s recovery and preparation for a match. In international soccer it is common that players have to sleep in unfamiliar locations (e.g. hotel) prior to matches however little is known about the quality of sleep achieved in a hotel compared with at home.Method21 female international soccer player’s sleep quality was monitored in the weeks before and during four different domestic international camp’s with the use of a mobile application that was filled out each morning immediately after awakening. The sleep quality was a 10-point scale with 1 being negative and 10 being positive. For differences in sleep quality, an independent t-test was used to compare means. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.ResultsThere was no significant difference when comparing sleep quality at home with that of in a hotel in the lead up to a women’s home international soccer match (7.44 ± 1.32 vs. 7.36 ± 1.16, p = 0.39).ConclusionThe findings of the present study indicate that the subjective sleep quality of female soccer players is not reduced in a hotel prior to a domestic international match and is not compromising recovery and preparation for the match. Further research is required to determine whether this is the same for away international fixtures.