PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Karim Khalladi
AU  - Abdulaziz Farooq
AU  - Sofiane Souissi
AU  - Christopher P Herrera
AU  - Karim Chamari
AU  - Lee Taylor
AU  - Farid El Massioui
TI  - Inter-relationship between sleep quality, insomnia and sleep disorders in professional soccer players
AID  - 10.1136/bmjsem-2018-000498
DP  - 2019 Apr 01
TA  - BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine
PG  - e000498
VI  - 5
IP  - 1
4099  - http://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/5/1/e000498.short
4100  - http://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/5/1/e000498.full
SO  - BMJ OPEN SP EX MED2019 Apr 01; 5
AB  - Objective Insufficient sleep duration and quality has negative effects on athletic performance, injury susceptibility and athlete development. This study aimed to assess the sleep characteristics of professional Qatar Stars League (QSL) soccer players.Methods In a cross-sectional study, QSL players (n=111; 23.7±4.8 years) completed three questionnaires to screen sleep disorders: (1) Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), (2) Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and (3) Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Poor sleep quality was defined as PSQI≥5, excessive daytime sleepiness was defined by ESS>8 and insomnia was defined as ISI≥11.Results The prevalence of poor sleep quality (PSQI≥5) was 68.5%, with subthreshold insomnia (ISI≥11) 27.0% and daytime sleepiness 22.5% (ESS>8). Sleep quality was positively associated with insomnia (r=0.42, p<0.001) and daytime sleepiness (r=0.23, p=0.018). Age, anthropometry, body composition and ethnicity were not associated with any of the reported sleep quality parameters.Conclusion The prevalence of poor sleep quality (68.5%) reported should concern practitioners. Increasing awareness of the importance of sleep relative to athletic performance, recovery, injury and illness appears prudent. Further, regular qualitative/quantitative sleep monitoring may help target subsequent evidence-informed interventions to improve sleep in those demonstrating undesirable sleep traits.