Analysis of sleep quality and quantity during a half-season in world-class handball players
Font, Roger (Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Departament de Ciències de la Salut)
Ortega-Becerra, Manuel (Universidad Pablo de Olavide)
Tremps, Víctor (Universitat Ramon Llull. Departament de Ciències de l'Esport)
Vicente, Antoni (Universitat de Lleida.)
Merayo, Ana (Consell Català de l'Esport)
Mallol, Milos (FC Barcelona Innovation Hub)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Psicologia Bàsica, Evolutiva i de l'Educació

Date:	2025
Abstract:	The study aimed to analyse the quality of rest of elite handball players during a half-season and to examine the differences between home and away rest. Adequate rest is key to recovery and performance, but the high density of matches and travel may affect sleep quality and duration. A longitudinal study was conducted over 14 weeks during the 2020-2021 season using sleep monitoring rings in 13 elite handball players to measure physiological and sleep parameters. The variables were compared in different situations such as after a training session, home and away matches, and periods with their national teams. Oura rings were used to collect variables such as heart rate variability, respiratory rate, sleep duration, onset latency and efficiency. Players wore the rings daily excluding training and matches. The data were analysed by comparing the different variables studied. At the physiological level, there were no significant differences between situations. However, moderate differences were found in total time in bed between home matches and travel days (ES = 0. 57). There was also less sleep time after matches and travel. Players demonstrated good autonomic flexibility without physiological alterations. However, recovery strategies should be improved as rest time was not adequate after matches and travel. Individual profiles could help detect recovery deficits.
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Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Recovery ; Team sports ; Elite team ; Heart rate ; Sleep quality
Published in:	Biology of Sport. A quarterly journal of sport and exercise sciences, Vol. 42 Núm. 3 (2025) , ISSN 2083-1862

DOI: 10.5114/biolsport.2025.148578
PMID: 40656998

9 p, 335.3 KB

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