The Intersection Of Sleep And Head Impacts In Division I Collegiate Football Players: A Pilot Study

PURPOSE: To investigate the influence of head acceleration event (HAE) exposure on sleep duration and disturbance in collegiate football athletes. Since little is known about this interaction, we also investigated the influence of sleep duration and disturbance on HAE exposure. Last, we aimed to investigate the influence of individual factors on these variables. METHODS: Seven Division I football players wore actigraphy devices for daily sleep measurement and helmet accelerometers to measure head acceleration events during contact practices for the duration of the 2019 preseason. RESULTS: Using mixed effects models, we examined the influence of hits on sleep disturbance, which showed players with average hits per session (4-7) had 0.75 fewer disturbances compared to low hits (<4), individuals with more years played showed 0.17 fewer disturbances and individuals reporting history of two concussions had 0.43 greater disturbances than those without (p < 0.05). Total hits and sleep duration were not significantly related. Also, for individuals with history of one concussion, odds of increased hits were 0.01 times (95% CI: [0.0003, 0.3139]; p = 0.0088) that of those without, and individuals with history of two concussions odds of increased hits were 0.0078 times (95% CI: [0.0003, 0.2362]; p = 0.0053) that of those without. CONCLUSIONS: From a small sample of collegiate football players, concussion history, playing history, and HAE exposure influenced the number of sleep disturbances. Players with more concussions also had less risk of increased hits compared to their peers without any concussion history. Findings suggest that sleep disturbances and HAE exposure are related but should be monitored closely over the course of an entire season to better understand how they are influenced by confounding factors. Future studies should include time in season, practice type and intensity, player position, position on depth chart, academic load and rigor, and other individualized factors as covariates to determine their influence on sleep, and the related risk for HAEs. This study was partially funded by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.