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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci 2023; 16(03): e271-e277
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1772788
Original Article

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

Angus R. Teece 
1   Te Huataki Waiora School of Health, University of Waikato, Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand
,
Martyn Beaven
1   Te Huataki Waiora School of Health, University of Waikato, Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand
,
Christos K. Argus
2   Chiefs Rugby Club, Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand
,
Nicholas Gill
3   New Zealand Rugby, Wellington, New Zealand
,
Matthew W. Driller
4   Department of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition Science, School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
› Author Affiliations Funding The authors declare that they did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors to conduct the present research.
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Abstract

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.

Keywords

team sports - sleep hygiene - sleep health - sleep education - athlete sleep behavior questionnaire - Pittsburgh sleep quality index


Publication History

Received: 09 January 2022

Accepted: 10 October 2022

Article published online:
11 September 2023

© 2023. Brazilian Sleep Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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