Regular practice of competitive sports does not impair sleep in adolescents: DADOS study

Purpose: To analyze differences in sleep quality and duration by athletic status and sex, and to examine the association between physical activity (PA) recommendation and sleep in adolescents. Methods: A total of 267 adolescents [13.9 (0.3) y] from Deporte, ADOlescencia y Salud (DADOS) study (129 girls) were included in this cross-sectional analysis. Athletes competed regularly in organized sport events and trained =3 days per week, but nonathletes did not compete. PA was assessed by GENEActiv accelerometer. PA values were dichotomized into inactive (5 (poor quality) or =5 (good quality). Sleep duration was objectively measured by accelerometer. Results: Sleep quality and duration were not statistically different between athletes [median (Mdn) = 4.0, interquartile range (IQR) = 3.0-6.0 and Mdn = 8.0, IQR = 7.4-8.6 h, respectively] and nonathletes (Mdn = 5.0, IQR = 3.0-7.0 and Mdn = 7.9; IQR = 7.3-8.6 h, respectively), P > .05. Nonathlete or inactive adolescents did not show higher risk for poor sleep quality or short sleep duration than athletes [odds ratio (OR) = 1.17; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.68-2.00 and OR = 0.93; 95% CI, 0.56-1.55, respectively] or active peers (OR = 1.39; 95% CI, 0.66-2.89 and OR = 1.62; 95% CI, 0.78-3.37, respectively). Conclusions: In our group of adolescents, competitive sport practice did not alter sleep patterns. PA recommendations for adolescents may not discriminate between good and poor sleepers. ¿ 2018 Human Kinetics, Inc