Sleep Intervention Swiss Elite Athletes

NCT06944574 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 2024-02076PT00P1_199093 / 1
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 16
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Background and Rationale Elite athletes frequently experience sleep disturbances due to factors like irregular schedules, travel, and pre-competition stress. Despite the critical role of sleep in physical recovery and mental health, many athletes fail to meet sleep quality recommendations. While sleep interventions have shown promise in improving sleep outcomes, their effects on mental health-especially in athlete populations-remain underexplored. This study investigates the impact of a 4-week app-based sleep intervention, preceded by a workshop, on both sleep and mental health outcomes in Swiss elite athletes. Objective To evaluate whether a brief, structured sleep intervention improves sleep quality and mental health in elite athletes and to identify perceived facilitators and barriers to intervention success. Design A single-center, one-arm pre-post intervention study with four time points (baseline, pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 2-month follow-up). No control group is used due to practical constraints. Participants 16 elite athletes (sport soldiers) enrolled in the Swiss recruit school. All participants are adults and proficient in German. Intervention A one-hour sleep workshop covering the importance of sleep and motivation-setting. A four-week app-based program ("7-Schläfer") with seven audio modules (approx. 30 minutes each), completed flexibly by participants. Outcomes Primary outcomes include: Sleep quality and disturbances Mental health (depression, anxiety, well-being) Data will be collected via REDCap using validated questionnaires. After the intervention, individual interviews will gather qualitative feedback. Analysis Quantitative data will be analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. Focus group data will be analyzed thematically. Significance The study aims to provide practical, scalable insights into how sleep-focused interventions can improve athlete well-being and inform recommendations for sport organizations.

Conditions

Sleep Problems

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Sleep problems

  The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI, Gerber et al., 2016) was used to assess the severity of sleep problems. The ISI consists of seven items, evaluating difficulties with falling asleep, staying asleep, subjective sleep quality, the impact of sleep disturbances on daily life, and worries about sleep problems in the previous two weeks. Participants rated each item on a 5-point scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 4 (very much). A total sleep problem score was calculated by summing all item responses. Higher values indicate more sleep problems.

  The ISI was administered at four time points: (1) baseline, (2) pre-intervention (4 weeks later, immediately before intervention), (3) post-intervention (6 weeks after pre-intervention), and (4) follow-up (2 months after post-intervention).

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Depression

  The PHQ-9 was administered at four time points: (1) baseline, (2) pre-intervention (4 weeks later, immediately before intervention), (3) post-intervention (6 weeks after pre-intervention), and (4) follow-up (2 months after post-intervention).

• Anxiety

  The GAD-7 was administered at four time points: (1) baseline, (2) pre-intervention (4 weeks later, immediately before intervention), (3) post-intervention (6 weeks after pre-intervention), and (4) follow-up (2 months after post-intervention).

• Well-being

  The MHC-SF was administered at four time points: (1) baseline, (2) pre-intervention (4 weeks later, immediately before intervention), (3) post-intervention (6 weeks after pre-intervention), and (4) follow-up (2 months after post-intervention).

Study Arms (1)

Intervention Arm (one arm only, repeated measure design)

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Guided online intervention

Interventions

Guided online intervention BEHAVIORAL

The intervention combines a one-hour in-person workshop with a four-week app-based program tailored to elite athletes. The workshop focuses on sleep education and individual motivation setting. Athletes then complete seven self-paced audio modules via the "7-Schläfer" app, covering strategies to improve sleep quality. Weekly reminder emails reinforce motivation. Unlike other interventions, this program is fully integrated into the elite sport context, emphasizes behavioral change through personalized goal-setting, and includes no therapist contact, ensuring scalability. No control group is included in this one-arm pre-post design.

Intervention Arm (one arm only, repeated measure design)

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• elite athlete participating in the recruit school (sport soldiers), understanding German because the content of the App is only available in German

You may not qualify if:

• not understanding German good enough to understand the content of the App

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen: lead

Study Sites (1)

Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen

Magglingen, Canton of Bern, 2532, Switzerland

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Parasomnias

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Sleep Wake Disorders; Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER GOV
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 2, 2025
• First Posted: April 25, 2025
• Study Start: November 1, 2024
• Primary Completion: March 31, 2025
• Study Completion: March 31, 2025
• Last Updated: April 25, 2025

Record last verified: 2024-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CH (1)