Sleep quality in university student-athletes: influence of chronotype, excessive daytime sleepiness, and stress

Abstract

Adequate sleep is essential for the health, recovery, and performance of athletes. It is particularly important for university student-athletes, who must balance academic and athletic responsibilities, to understand the factors that influence sleep quality. This study explored the relationships between chronotype, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), perceived stress levels, and sleep quality in university student-athletes, comparing them to non-athletes. We performed a quantitative study involving 462 participants—249 university student-athletes and 213 non-athletes. Participants voluntarily filled out the morningness–eveningness questionnaire (MEQ), Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), perceived stress scale (PSS), and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). The data analysis included descriptive statistics, a chi-square test, and a t-test. The research findings indicated that 58.63% of university student-athletes preferred a morningness chronotype. Additionally, 48.59% exhibited normal levels of daytime sleepiness, while 81.53% reported moderate stress levels, and 57.83% experienced poor sleep quality. On average, participants slept for 6.84 hours per day. The components with higher scores were sleep latency and sleep disturbance, while sleep efficiency and use of sleep medication scored lower. A significant correlation was found between chronotype and perceived stress levels with sleep quality (p < 0.05), whereas EDS was not significantly correlated with sleep quality (p > 0.05) among university student-athletes. Significant differences were observed in chronotype, perceived stress levels, and sleep quality between university student-athletes and non-athletes (p < 0.05). However, no significant differences were found in EDS between the two groups (p > 0.05). More than half of university student-athletes experienced poor sleep quality, which was strongly correlated with their chronotype and stress levels. However, university student-athletes reported a greater preference for morning functioning, better sleep quality, reduced daytime sleepiness, and lower stress levels compared to non-athletes. The study suggests that a morningness chronotype and lower stress levels may contribute to improved sleep quality. It is essential to educate coaches and athletes about the impact of sleep quality on academic and athletic performance to promote healthy and effective sleep habits among university student-athletes.