Agreement between perceived and objective sleep duration in highly trained young male soccer players

This study aimed to assess the agreement between daily self-reported and actigraphy-derived sleep duration in high-level male youth soccer players over a 35-day period. Secondary analyses examined the agreement between daily self-reported sleep duration and objective time in bed (TIB), as well as the agreement between sleep questionnaire responses and averaged actigraphy data. Forty-eight players wore actigraphy devices nightly and completed daily sleep diaries for 35 consecutive days. After the monitoring period, players completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Agreement was assessed using Bland - Altman analysis. Results showed a mean bias of - 60 min between self-reported and objective sleep duration, with wide limits of agreement (-02:09 to +00:15 h), indicating poor agreement. Similar results were observed when comparing self-reported sleep to objective TIB. PSQI responses overestimated average sleep duration for the same time period by 69 min (LoA: -17 to +154 min). Overall, self-reported sleep duration consistently overestimated sleep duration and failed to meet the predefined threshold for acceptable agreement of 30 min. These findings suggest that daily self-report and questionnaire-based sleep estimates may not be reliable proxies for objective sleep data in youth soccer athletes. While subjective methods may still hold practical utility for routine screening, objective tools should be prioritized for sleep monitoring.