Eficácia das estratégias de higiene do sono para a melhora da qualidade e quantidade de sono em atletas de alto rendimento: uma revisão da literatura

Abstract

Sleep is an essential biological component for the functionality of the human body. Lack of sleep and poor sleep quality can affect several physical and cognitive factors. Poor sleep quality is reported as extremely common in athletes and, despite the clear need to get good quality sleep, many of them find it difficult to make this a priority. Healthy sleep habits can be trained and improved by using regular routines and creating an ideal sleeping environment. Promoting sleep hygiene programs can enhance and facilitate better sleep quality. Objectives: The main purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the efficacy of sleep hygiene strategies to improve sleep quality and quantity in elite athletes. Methods: Studies evaluating sleep hygiene strategies in elite athletes were located through a systematic search on three databases: MEDLINE (via Ovid), Scientific Electronic Library Online (Scielo), and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), rain in April 2022. The PEDro scale was used to assess the internal validity of the included studies. Results: The search yielded 881 records relevant, following screening against the elegibility criteria, a total of 5 studies were included. The main intervention techniques used as a sleep hygiene strategy were: sleep hygiene education, removal of electronic devices before bedtime, short napping and hot shower before bedtime. Conclusion: The sleep hygiene strategies had a positive effect in relation to sleep onset latency and sleep duration, but with no significant relationship with other sleep markers. It was also observed that athletes who received sleep hygiene techniques increased alertness and improved cognitive capacity.