The Relationship Between Dietary Nutrients and Sleep in Elite Athletes: a Pilot Study

Abstract

Sleep is essential for physical recovery and performance in athletes, and diet is one of the major factors influencing sleep. However, the relationship between dietary nutrients and sleep in elite athletes is not well understood. This study aims to examine the association between nutrient intake and sleep quality in elite athletes. A total of 115 elite athletes (75.3% (n=78) males; mean age: 68.70±10.91 years) from five sports (swimming, canoeing, archery, volleyball and taekwondo) were included in the study. All athletes were at national/professional competitive level. Sleep quality was measured using the Richard-Campbell Sleep Scale (RCSQ). Food consumption was recorded over 24 hours and the data were analysed using nutritional software (Nutrition Information Systems (BeBiS version 8.1)). The daily sleep duration of the participants was 7.50 ± 0.92 hours. The RCSQ score was 62.54 ± 22.49 and 28.6% of the participants had poor sleep quality. The good sleeper group had higher intakes of energy (kcal), protein (g/kg and g) and tryptophan (g/kg and g) (p < 0.05). Nutrient intakes in elite athletes are associated with sleep and may play a role in sleep disorders. Research should investigate causal relationships between nutrient intake and sleep, and the efficacy of dietary interventions to improve sleep in elite athletes with nutrient deficiencies.

Keywords

• Elite athlete
• Nutrition
• Sleep
• Sport

ELİT SPORCULARDA BESLENME VE UYKU ARASINDAKİ İLİŞKİ: BİR PİLOT ÇALIŞMA

Abstract

Uyku, sporcularda fiziksel iyileşme ve performans için gereklidir ve diyet uykuyu etkileyen en önemli faktörlerden biridir. Bununla birlikte, elit sporcularda diyetle alınan besinler ve uyku arasındaki ilişki iyi anlaşılmamıştır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, elit sporcularda besin alımı ve uyku kalitesi arasındaki ilişkiyi araştırmaktır. Çalışmaya beş spor dalından (yüzme, kano, okçuluk, voleybol ve tekvando) toplam 115 elit sporcu (%75,3 (n=78) erkek; ortalama yaş: 68,70±10,91 yıl) dahil edildi. Tüm sporcular ulusal/profesyonel rekabet düzeyindeydi. Uyku kalitesi Richard-Campbell Uyku Ölçeği (RCSQ) kullanılarak ölçülmüştür. Gıda tüketimi 24 saat boyunca kaydedilmiş ve veriler beslenme yazılımı (Beslenme Bilgi Sistemleri (BeBiS sürüm 8.1)) kullanılarak analiz edildi. Katılımcıların günlük uyku süresi 7,50 ± 0,92 saatti. RCSQ skoru 62,54 ± 22,49 idi ve katılımcıların %28,6'sının uyku kalitesi düşüktü. İyi uyuyan grubun enerji (kcal), protein (g/kg ve g) ve triptofan (g/kg ve g) alımları daha yüksekti (p < 0,05). Elit sporcularda besin alımları uyku ile ilişkilidir ve uyku bozukluklarında rol oynayabilir. Çalışmalar, besin alımı ve uyku arasındaki nedensel ilişkileri ve besin eksikliği olan elit sporcularda uykuyu iyileştirmek için diyet müdahalelerinin etkinliğini araştırmalıdır.

Keywords

• Elit atlet
• Beslenme
• Uyku
• Spor

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