Early Practices Disrupt College Athletes’ Sleep, Ohio Study Finds

Recent research from Ohio State University indicates that early morning training sessions may adversely affect the sleep health of college athletes. Analysis of over 27,000 sleep records collected over five years reveals that these pre-dawn practices are significantly compromising the rest needed for optimal performance.

The study involved 359 varsity athletes who wore sleep trackers to monitor their rest patterns. Findings show that athletes lose approximately 20 to 30 minutes of sleep on nights preceding practices that typically start before 8 a.m. According to Emaly Vatne, the lead author and a PhD student at Ohio State, “The strength of our study is that we have objective data on a large sample of athletes showing the impact of early practices on sleep.”

Impacts on Sleep Quality and Efficiency

Not only does the quantity of sleep decline, but the quality is also affected. The study found that athletes experienced less efficient sleep and took longer to fall asleep before early workouts. This evidence challenges the common practice of scheduling early training sessions, providing coaches and athletic directors with concrete data to reconsider these routines.

Another key observation from the research is the behavioral change among athletes. When practices were scheduled for the afternoon, athletes tended to stay up more than an hour later than usual. Joshua Hagen, co-author of the study and faculty director of the Ohio State Human Performance Collaborative, noted, “Coaches and others may have this intuition that early practices are not optimal for sleep, but now we have the data to quantify that.”

The Broader Implications for Athletic Performance

The study encompassed athletes from various sports, including football, basketball, ice hockey, and swimming, offering a comprehensive overview of how early practices impact different disciplines. Published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, these findings highlight the crucial role of sleep in both daily recovery and peak athletic performance.

As sleep becomes increasingly recognized as a vital factor in athletic success, the study raises important questions about how to better align team schedules with athletes’ circadian rhythms. With evidence now supporting the need for change, it may be time for institutions to rethink their training strategies to prioritize athletes’ health and performance.