The Impact of Team Practice Block Start Times on Sleep Characteristics in Collegiate Athletes.

Abstract

Abstract: Vatne, E, Vatne, M, Cencer, D, Saenz, C, Kraemer, WJ, Robinson, B, Jones, P, Stone, J, Merrigan, J, Carpenter, T, and Hagen, J. The impact of team practice block start times on sleep characteristics in collegiate athletes. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2025-Optimal sleep is crucial for health and performance, yet collegiate athletes often face training schedules that disrupt sleep. This study aimed to examine how practice block start times relate to objective measures of sleep quantity and quality among collegiate athletes. After filtering for compliance and data quality, 27,576 nighttime sleep records (Ōura Health, Oulu, Finland) were included from 359 athletes (N = 178 female; N = 181 male) across 15 varsity teams, with football being the most represented. Sleep was tracked using a validated wearable device (Ōura Health, Oulu, Finland). Practice blocks were categorized by start times: "Early Morning" (≤8 am), "Morning" (after 8 am to before 12 pm), and "Afternoon" (12-4 pm). Data were assessed for normality, followed by a 3 (practice block) X 2 (biological sex) ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis test. Pairwise comparisons revealed that total sleep time (p < 0.05) and sleep onset latency (p < 0.05) were significantly impaired in the early morning compared with morning groups for male and female athletes. Time in bed was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) for female athletes and sleep efficiency was significantly reduced (p < 0.001) for male athletes in the early morning group compared with morning. Earlier practice start times reduce sleep quality and quantity, highlighting the need for careful consideration when designing training plans. If coaches are unable to avoid early morning practices, educational initiatives focused on individualized strategies to enhance sleep may help mitigate deleterious effects of early morning practices on sleep quality and quantity.