Sleep and body clock disruption associated with the mental health of female footballers

Elite female Australian rules footballers report poorer mental health compared to elite male players, especially when their sleep is disrupted, research led by Monash University has found.

All elite athletes face a unique set of stressors on a daily basis, making them vulnerable to sleep disruption and associated psychological symptoms. The results of this research reinforce calls for greater support for the Australian Football League Women’s (AFLW) competition and its players.

Published in the Journal of Sleep Researchthe study examined gender differences in sleep, circadian rhythms and mental health, as well as the moderating role of sex in the prediction of mental health, among AFL and AFLW players.

Participants included 87 elite Australian Rules footballers, 43% of whom were female. Their average age was 24 years. They completed questionnaires, followed two weeks of sleep/wake monitoring and assessed the biological clock. Data were collected during pre-season training periods over two seasons.

The AFLW players, compared to male players, reported poorer mental health (a higher athlete psychological tension score), had later sleep-wake timing (by 28 minutes), reported a greater preference for being a ‘night owl’ , and had later sleep-wake timing (by 28 minutes). body clock measured by the hormone melatonin (per 33 minutes).

For the female athletes, less efficient sleep and more irregular sleep were associated with poorer mental health. Additionally, those who were more extreme morning or evening types and those who were out of sync with their body clock reported poorer mental health.

However, when it came to the male AFL players, the researchers found no significant relationships between these factors.

First author and Ph.D. candidate Luis Mascaro, from Monash University School of Psychological Sciences, said the findings were relevant to athletes.

“Our findings suggest that athletes and sporting organizations should consider monitoring sleep and body clocks when managing mental health, and this may be of particular value for those who may be vulnerable to disruption,” Mascaro said.

Senior author and deputy director of the school’s Sleep and Circadian Rhythms Research Program, Dr. Elise Facer-Childs and her team have conducted research with elite athletes in the AFL, NRL and NBL in recent years, and recognized the importance of these results.

“Our findings may be linked to factors relevant to elite semi-professional status versus elite full-time professional, such as training schedules, compensation and access to support,” said Dr. Facer Childs. “More research is needed to tease apart the possible ecological or biological mechanisms at play, and to monitor outcomes longitudinally.

“We have seen a huge increase in interest in women’s sport in recent years, and the growth of the AFLW competition is testament to that. However, the majority of sports science research has been conducted on men.

“These findings support the need for more studies with female athletes and the development of tailored programs to improve sleep, circadian alignment and mental health among elite semi-professional female athletes.”