Self-reported chronotype and objective sleep timing in university student athletes and non-athletes

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this paper was to test how sport participation and chronotype affect objectively measured sleep timing parameters on workdays. Material and Methods: The sample included 82 student athletes and 40 non-athletes who completed three-day wrist actigraphy monitoring and the Polish version of the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire. Results: Eveningness predicted later timing of falling asleep and mid-sleep, but not the wake-up time. Student athletes had earlier wake-up time and shorter sleep duration than non-athletes. Discussion: The results support the view that university students suffer insufficient sleep, especially those participating in extensive sport activity.

Keywords

• actigraphy
• sleep
• circadian rhythm
• students
• athletes.