Nap to perform? Match-day napping on perceived match performance in professional rugby union athletes

Background Daytime napping on match-day is a strategy used by athletes to alleviate sleep debt or to avoid boredom. However, the utilization of pre-match napping and its effect on self-rated performance has not been evaluated in professional Rugby athletes. Methods Over a 17-match season, 30 professional Rugby Union athletes (mean ± SD: 23 ± 3 y) completed a weekly questionnaire on their daytime napping practices on match day. Questions included whether they took a nap, the duration of nap, their mood state upon waking and, their perceived performance during the subsequent match. Additionally, three team coaches evaluated the match performance of each participant. Finally, each participant was asked a questionnaire focusing on their napping preferences and individual habits of match-day napping at the conclusion of the season. Results Pre-match naps were used by 86% of athletes, with an average nap duration of 32 ± 19 min. A significantly greater number of naps were taken during away matches compared to home matches (60% vs. 40%, p < 0.01). Of the athletes who napped, 86% chose to nap less than 4 h before kick-off. Furthermore, 87% of athletes who napped on match day reported believing naps helped their match performance. Additionally, the odds of an athlete rating their performance as “good” was increased 6.7 times if they napped and won the match. Conclusion This study highlights that match-day naps are commonly used amongst professional Rugby Union athletes. The results suggest that taking naps before away matches may support self-rated performance amongst Rugby Union athletes.