The influence of social factors on sleep and sleep hygiene in varsity athletes
Bodner ME, Kampman K, Driller M, Hergott C, Cote AT, Fenuta AM

Background
The influence of social factors on sleep/sleep hygiene in university athletes is understudied.
Methods
We explored social factors (e.g. social relationship satisfaction, social groups, post-competition socialization) in varsity athletes in association with sleep/sleep hygiene using validated sleep questionnaires: Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire, Athlete Sleep Behaviour Questionnaire, and Sleep Regularity Questionnaire.
Results
Varsity athletes (N=90; 66.3% female) averaged 7.3±0.9 sleep hours/day. 51.7% reported being ‘somewhat’ to ‘very satisfied’ with their sleep quality, 34.8% reported ‘moderate’ to ‘severe’ sleep difficulty and 76.4% were characterized as having ‘poor’ sleep hygiene. Athletes ‘very’ satisfied with the quality of their social relationships (46.6%) had better sleep hygiene (44.0±5.8 vs 46.9±6.2, p=0.027), sleep regularity (25.4.0±5.7 vs 22.6±6.0, p = 0.028), and sleep difficulty (5.7±3.3 vs 7.5±3.3, p=0.013) scores compared to those ‘somewhat’ satisfied, respectively. Satisfaction with social relationships was positively associated with sleep quality χ²(4, N=88)=12.28, p=0.015. 69% identified a specific social group that negatively impacted sleep behaviors; 19.7% rated this impact ≥7 (scale: 1 ‘very little’ to 10 ‘quite a lot’). This rating was negatively associated with sleep hours (r= -0.361, p=0.006). On average, 91% of athletes socialized post-competition. Of these, 68% reported that socialization 'sometimes' or 'always’ delayed normal bedtime, with 51.6% reporting delays of ≥1 hour.
Conclusion
In varsity athletes, satisfying social connections may mitigate sleep difficulties (e.g., sleep hours/satisfaction, falling/staying asleep) and enhance sleep hygiene/regularity. However, certain social groups/activities might disrupt sleep-optimizing behaviours. Additional investigation of associations between social factors and sleep behaviours may inform counsel to help balance social engagement and sleep health.