Sleep architecture is altered with travel and matches in professional rugby union players

Kanon Uchiyama; Peter Peeling; Shona L. Halson; Machar Reid; Karen Wallman; Jennifer Walsh; Simon Thomas; Olivier Girard

doi:10.1080/02640414.2025.2473150

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Sleep architecture is altered with travel and matches in professional rugby union players

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Sleep architecture is altered with travel and matches in professional rugby union players

Kanon Uchiyama, Peter Peeling, Shona L. Halson, Machar Reid, Karen Wallman, Jennifer Walsh, Simon Thomas and Olivier Girard

Journal of sports sciences, In Press

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2025.2473150

PMID: 40022638

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Abstract

athletes

polysomnography

rugby

Sleep architecture

team-sport

travel

Field-based athlete research has primarily focused on sleep-wake patterns, but technological advancements now enable detailed assessment of sleep architecture. This study compared sleep quantity, quality, and architecture during home (no travel; HOME) and away (eastbound travel across three time zones; AWAY) matches in professional male rugby union. The sleep of twenty athletes was assessed using home-based polysomnography over three nights per condition: two nights preceding the match (MD-2), match night (MD), and the following night after (MD + 1). Sleep duration, efficiency, onset/offset, latency, wake after sleep onset, awakenings, and sleep stages (as light, deep and rapid eye movement [REM] sleep, evaluated as proportion [%] and time [min]) were monitored. Compared to HOME, AWAY increased sleep onset latency (+12 ± 23 min; p < 0.01) and reduced light sleep (−6.2 ± 7.1%; p < 0.01). Match days (MD) incurred delayed bedtime (+71 ± 135 min; p < 0.001), reduced sleep duration (−94 ± 120 min; p < 0.05), and altered sleep architecture (deep: +9.8 ± 10.0%; REM: −6.9 ± 8.3%; both p < 0.05) compared to MD-2. On MD + 1, sleep duration (+96 ± 147 min; p < 0.01) and light and REM sleep time rebounded (+52 ± 44 min and + 39 ± 52 min, respectively; both p < 0.05). Travel and matches altered sleep architecture in professional rugby. Training and flight schedules should ensure sufficient sleep opportunity after travel and matchday to optimise recovery.

Details

Title: Sleep architecture is altered with travel and matches in professional rugby union players
Authors/Creators: Kanon Uchiyama - High Performance, Perth, Australia
Peter Peeling - School of Human Sciences (Exercise and Sport Science), The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Shona L. Halson - Australian Catholic University
Machar Reid - School of Human Sciences (Exercise and Sport Science), The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Karen Wallman - School of Human Sciences (Exercise and Sport Science), The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Jennifer Walsh - West Australian Sleep Disorders Research Institute
Simon Thomas - High Performance, Perth, Australia
Olivier Girard - School of Human Sciences (Exercise and Sport Science), The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Publication Details: Journal of sports sciences, In Press
Publisher: Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Identifiers: 991005896085107891
Murdoch Affiliation: Centre for Healthy Ageing; School of Allied Health
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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