Association between sleep quality and psychological wellbeing in 175 elite adult athletes

Purpose This study examined the relationship between sleep quality and mood state and identified psychological predictors of sleep disturbance in elite adult athletes. Methods A stratified cluster sample of 175 elite adult athletes (67 males, 108 females; age 22.6 ± 3.7 yr) was recruited from Sichuan Province, China. Participants with a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score ≥ 5 were classified as having disturbed sleep ( n = 87); those scoring < 5 were assigned to the normal-sleep group ( n = 88). Sleep quality was assessed with the PSQI; mood state was evaluated with the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Results The disturbed-sleep group scored significantly higher than the normal-sleep group on the PSQI global score and on all seven component scales ( p < 0.01). Tension, anger, fatigue, depression, confusion, self-esteem and total mood disturbance (TMD) were also markedly elevated in the disturbed-sleep group ( p < 0.01). Pearson correlations revealed positive associations between PSQI global score and both fatigue (R = 0.242) and TMD (R = 0.347) ( p < 0.01). Multiple linear regression indicated that fatigue ( β = 0.581, p < 0.001) and total mood disturbance (TMD, β = 0.218, p = 0.004) were independent predictors of PSQI global score, explaining 57% of the variance (adjusted R 2 = 0.57, F (2,172) = 115.59, p < 0.001). Sex-stratified analysis indicated that the correlations between fatigue, TMD and sleep quality were significantly stronger in female athletes (R = 0.368 for fatigue, R = 0.402 for TMD) than in male athletes (R = 0.286 for fatigue, R = 0.312 for TMD), and depression scores in the disturbed-sleep group were significantly higher in females than in males ( p = 0.008). Conclusion Sleep disturbance in elite athletes is closely associated with psychological fatigue and overall mood disturbance, with fatigue as the core predictor. Significant gender differences exist: the mood-sleep association is stronger in female athletes, and sleep disturbance has a more prominent impact on their depressive mood, requiring targeted interventions

Depressive symptoms · Elite · Mood · Sleep disorder · Sleep quality · Sleep and related disorders · Sleep and Wakefulness Research · Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue

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