Effect of Sleep Hygiene and Sleep Extension on Performance in Soccer Players

NCT06551935 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: UI/BD/151482/2021
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 33
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

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.

Conditions

Sleep Extension; Sleep Hygiene; Athletic Performance

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Sleep

  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

  4 weeks

• 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test

  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.

  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)

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• 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)

Study Arms (2)

Control Group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Without sleep intervention

Behavioral: Habitual sleep habits without intervention

Experimental Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Sleep hygiene and sleep extension

Behavioral: Sleep extension and sleep hygiene

Interventions

Habitual sleep habits without intervention BEHAVIORAL

Sleep habits maintenance

Control Group

Sleep extension and sleep hygiene BEHAVIORAL

Players will extend their time in bed by 25%, based on their baseline sleep, and adopt sleep hygiene behaviors: relatively fixed sleep schedule; do not lie in bed awake for long periods of time; no caffeine and no alcohol prior to bedtime; avoid heavy meals close to bedtime; sleep environment cool, dark and quiet; low exposure to screen lights before bedtime, only with nightshift mode and low luminosity (avoid high cognitive demanded activities, like gaming); low luminosity near to bedtime; ensure adequate exposure to light in the morning.

Experimental Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age: ≥18 years old
• Sex: Male
• Football players competed in an official competition, organized by the Portuguese Football - Federation (FPF) or regional football associations

You may not qualify if:

• Players who take sleep medication
• Injured players
• Players with clinical sleep problems

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Maia: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Maia

Maia, Porto District, Portugal

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Sleep Hygiene

Interventions

Methods

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Health Behavior; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Investigative Techniques

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 9, 2024
• First Posted: August 13, 2024
• Study Start: August 20, 2024
• Primary Completion: September 20, 2024
• Study Completion: February 6, 2025
• Last Updated: March 10, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-03

Locations

PT (1)