Investigating Sleep Quality in Young Soccer Players and Its Relationship with Vitamin D Levels

Background & objectives: Sleep is essential for physical and mental restoration, crucial for enhancing athletic performance.Vitamin D plays both direct and indirect roles in sleep regulation, with deficiencies linked to sleep disorders.This study aimed to explore the sleep quality (SQ) of young soccer players and its relationship with their vitamin D status.Methods: This descriptive-analytical study included 75 young male soccer players, aged 18-22 years, with over three years of sports experience, selected through simple random sampling.The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess SQ, with scores of 5 or above indicating poor SQ.Levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) were measured using ELISA.Spearman's correlation coefficient was employed to evaluate the relationship between 25(OH)D levels and SQ (p0.05). Results:The study revealed that 22.67% of participants had vitamin D deficiency, and 40% had insufficient vitamin D levels.Additionally, 69.33% of participants exhibited poor SQ.A significant positive correlation was found between 25(OH)D levels and SQ among players with deficient and insufficient vitamin D levels (p<0.05).Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency and poor SQ are prevalent among young soccer players, and inadequate vitamin D levels may be associated with poor SQ, especially in winter.It is recommended that athletes maintain adequate vitamin D levels to enhance sports performance.