P030 Consequences of low sleep regularity in athletes: a scoping review

Abstract Introduction Sleep is the most effective recovery mechanism available to athletes; however, training, competition, and travel schedules all impact the amount and quality of sleep obtained, often in an inconsistent manner. The impact of sleep regularity on sleep duration and quality as well as health and performance-related outcomes in athletes remains largely unexplored. Therefore, the aims of this review were to determine the current state of knowledge concerning the impact of sleep regularity on sleep duration and quality as well as identify whether any evidence exists regarding the impact of sleep regularity on other important outcomes for athletes such as health, performance, and injury. Methods PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases were systematically searched. Results Database searching yielded 3943 results and 10 studies were eventually included in the review. Included studies investigated associations between sleep regularity and other sleep variables (n = 7), performance (n = 2), and mental health (n = 1). Discussion Athletes are an at-risk population for irregular sleep; however, the consequences of low sleep regularity have been scarcely investigated. Studies revealed inconsistent evidence on the association between sleep regularity and other measures of sleep duration, quality, and fragmentation. Preliminary evidence suggests that irregular sleep patterns negatively impact performance and mental health; however, gender appears to influence the nature of the associations. Research exploring how sleep regularity influences athlete health and performance should be prioritised so that appropriate management strategies can be developed and implemented.