The effect of sleep on swimming performance

The effect of sleep on swimming performance in student athletes

Abstract

There has been extensive research on sleep, including the stages, deprivation, and importance. However, there is limited research into the importance of sleep for athletes, especially swimmers. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate if quality of sleep affects swimming performance in university level swimmers. 11 student-athletes from a university swimming team completed a 50m and 200m freestyle timed swim in the morning and evening. Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire and the Elite Performance Readiness Questionnaire prior to the swims. The data was analysed using either a paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed rank test, to assess the difference between AM and PM. For the 200m swim there was a significant increase (P = 0.013) in performance in the evening. However, for the 50m swim, there was no significant difference (P = 0.102). There was no correlation between PSQI scores and swim time (rho (ρ) = -0.22). Eight out of the 11 swimmers (66%) were deemed to have poor quality sleep. This highlights the importance of sleep and understanding the effects of sleep deprivation. The findings of the study reveal that the athletes performed better in the evening compared to the morning. This is important when planning competitions and training programs, understanding that athletes perform better in the evening when they’re more motivated and alert, according to this study. This can also be considered for British Universities and Colleges Sport events, as the performance standard will be higher later in the day.