Acceso usuarios
Dinesh Dagar
, Jyoti Shrivastava, Garima Singh
Background: College-level athletes face unique lifestyle challenges that could adversely affect sleep patterns and dietary behaviors, which have significant implications. Both factors are crucial for maintaining optimal performance, facilitating recovery, and promoting overall health. However, limited research in the Indian context has addressed how sleep-related challenges influence dietary patterns in this population.
Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among dietary habits, sleep quality, and sleep disturbances in college athletes.
Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional research design was employed involving a sample of 255 university athletes. The assessment of dietary behaviors such as meal frequency, fast food consumption, hydration status, snacking patterns, and meal skipping was carried out using a validated questionnaire. Additionally, sleep quality was evaluated using the Modified Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and perceived barriers to sleep (e.g., academic stress, use of electronics, training schedule).
Results: Electronics use (40%) and social activities (36%) were the most common sleep barriers, followed by academic stress (16%) and training schedule (7%). Forty-one percent of participants reported regular meal skipping, and frequent fast-food intake (>2 times/week) was prevalent. Sleep scores (Modified PSQI) were modestly but significantly correlated with dietary habit scores (ρ = 0.170, p = 0.016). Linear regression indicated sleep quality significantly predicted dietary habits (β = 0.173, p = 0.014), explaining 3% of variance.
Conclusion: Sleep quality is modestly associated with dietary behaviors among Indian collegiate athletes. Interventions targeting sleep hygiene and nutrition could enhance health and performance in this population.
