Sleep patterns and match performance in elite Australian basketball athletes

Abstract Objectives To assess sleep patterns and associations between sleep and match performance in elite Australian female basketball players. Design Prospective cohort study. Methods Seventeen elite female basketball players were monitored across two consecutive in-season competitions (30 weeks). Total sleep time and sleep efficiency were determined using triaxial accelerometers for Baseline, Pre-match, Match-day and Post-match timings. Match performance was determined using the basketball efficiency statistic (EFF). The effects of match schedule (Regular versus Double-Header; Home versus Away) and sleep on EFF were assessed. Results The Double-Header condition changed the pattern of sleep when compared with the Regular condition (F(3,48) = 3.763, P = 0.017), where total sleep time Post-match was 11% less for Double-Header (mean ± SD; 7.2 ± 1.4 h) compared with Regular (8.0 ± 1.3 h; P = 0.007). Total sleep time for Double-Header was greater Pre-match (8.2 ± 1.7 h) compared with Baseline (7.1 ± 1.6 h; P = 0.022) and Match-day (7.3 ± 1.5 h; P = 0.007). Small correlations existed between sleep metrics at Pre-match and EFF for pooled data (r = −0.39 to −0.22; P ≥ 0.238). Relationships between total sleep time and EFF ranged from moderate negative to large positive correlations for individual players (r = −0.37 to 0.62) and reached significance for one player (r = 0.60; P = 0.025). Conclusions Match schedule can affect the sleep patterns of elite female basketball players. A large degree of inter-individual variability existed in the relationship between sleep and match performance; nevertheless, sleep monitoring might assist in the optimisation of performance for some athletes.