0204 The Impact of Sleep on Well-Being and Diurnal Performance in Elite Australian Football League Athletes

Abstract Introduction The ultimate goal in the sports world is achieving optimal health and continuous high-level performance through an adequate balance of training load and recovery e.g. rehab, nutrition, well being and sleep. Athletes often encounter situations that negatively impact their ability to sleep well, disrupt their biological rhythms and increase mental stress e.g. late competition times, travel and high training load. Therefore, there is a need to increase our understanding of how individual variability could be impacting recovery and performance in elite sports. Methods This study examined the relationships between individual sleep and circadian patterns, well-being and performance variables in Australian Football League (AFL) athletes. Actigraphy combined with daily sleep diaries were used to gather objective sleep data over a period of 14 days. Performance tests were conducted in the morning (between 07:00 - 08:00am) and afternoon (between 14:00 - 15:00) on days 3, 5, 7, 10, 12 and 14. Performance measures included a strength test (force plate jump), a skilled based accuracy test (goal kicking) and a reaction time test (psychomotor vigilance task). Results Preliminary results show that sleep and circadian parameters differed significantly between individuals and were correlated with measures of well-being and diurnal performance. Conclusion The Australian Football League (AFL) is one of the largest growing sports industries in Australia and New Zealand with annual revenues reaching a billion dollars. These findings add to the growing literature showing how sleep impacts performance in elite athletes and highlights the need to take sleep and time of day into account. This is of critical importance to the global sports industry, who are constantly seeking marginal gains. Support n/a