0240 College Football Players Compared to Other Collegiate Athletes: Symptoms of Insufficient Sleep Duration, Insomnia, and Sleep Apnea

Abstract Introduction College athletes experience frequent sleep disturbances. Data from professional football players suggests high rates of sleep apnea symptoms. Little data is available on college football players, especially compared to other athletes. Methods Data were obtained from N=189 NCAA Division-I student athletes, including N=45 football players). Outcomes of interest came from the Sleep Disorders Symptom Check List (SDSCL) which rated symptoms on a frequency scale of 0: never and 4: >5 times/week. Symptoms evaluated were daytime tiredness, any snoring, loud snoring, breathing pauses during sleep, and waking up choking/gasping sleep apnea), as well as difficulty falling asleep, difficulty with nighttime awakenings, and early morning awakenings (insomnia). Other outcomes include self-reported sleep duration, Insomnia Severity Index, frequency of caffeine use, and frequency of use of medications to help with sleep. Linear and ordinal logistic regression analyses were adjusted for age, sex, year in school, socioeconomic status, and mood. Post-hoc analyses examined men only. Results Regarding sleep apnea symptoms, football players reported more snoring (oOR=3.14, p=0.01), loud snoring (oOR=4.38, p=0.008), breathing pauses (oOR=5.42, p=0.0499), and choking/gasping (oOR=8.51), but not daytime tiredness. Regarding insufficient sleep, football players reported no difference in sleep duration but decreased caffeine use (oOR=0.27, p=0.002). Regarding insomnia, football players showed no difference in ISI scores or insomnia symptoms, but increased likelihood of sleeping pill use (oOR=3.01, p=0.03). When analyses were restricted to men only, all of these relationships were maintained. Conclusion College football athletes may exhibit different sleep symptoms than other college athletes, as they exhibit more sleep apnea-related symptoms, without the increase in daytime symptoms, such as tiredness. Support The REST study was funded by an NCAA Innovations grant. Dr. Grandner is supported by R01MD011600