2009/10/26 by Serge Brand, Johannes Beck, Markus Gerber +2 · 1 citation
Psychology · Neuroscience · #Sleep and related disorders #Sleep and Wakefulness Research #Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
paper · doi:10.1177/1359105309342602
openalex publication_date 2009/10/26 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/03
It is commonly assumed that physical activity exerts a favorable impact on sleep, although scientific evidence is lacking. This study investigated the impact of football sports on the sleep patterns of 36 male chronic and intense football players and 34 controls. Participants completed a sleep log for seven consecutive days. Compared to controls, football players reported shorter sleep onset latency, fewer awakenings, higher scores of sleep quality and a lower variability of sleep from weekdays to weekends. The findings suggest that football sports activity is positively associated with both quantitative and qualitative dimensions of sleep.