Enhancing sleep in professional rugby players: Observation and sleep interventions

Sleep is a crucial factor for optimal recovery, performance and well-being of athletes. Although professional athletes could benefit from about 8 h of sleep, many experience shorter sleep durations or poor sleep quality. Sleep interventions have been recently proposed to improve sleep, but their effects remain unclear. This ecological study aimed to evaluate the sleep of a rugby team and to examine the effects of sleep interventions, including a group seminar on sleep hygiene and relaxation techniques. Thirty-six male professional rugby players were evaluated during two pre- and post-intervention match weeks using objective and subjective assessments. At baseline, 34 of 36 athletes slept less than 8 h per night and combining sleep quality and quantity assessments, 22 of 36 players were considered as poor sleepers. After the interventions, subjective sleep (p = 0.001, η² = 0.22 [0.47-0.04]), Hooper score (p < 0.001, η² = 0.77 [0.86-0.65]), bedtime (p = 0.01, η² = 0.15 [0.40-0.01]) and time in bed (p = 0.04, η² = 0.11 [0.35-0.003]) improved for all athletes, while sleep quantity increased among poor sleepers (405.2 min vs. 425.9 min; p = 0.04, d = 0.44). Sleep interventions, composed of theoretical and practical sessions, improved sleep characteristics and might be implemented in athletes' daily routine. This study offers a simple, accessible method to assess athletes' sleep, while providing adapted recommendations to enhance sleep.