Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Dec 15:54:219-225.
doi: 10.1515/hukin-2016-0049. eCollection 2016 Dec 1.

The Chronotype of Elite Athletes

Michele Lastella  1 , Gregory D Roach  1 , Shona L Halson  2 , Charli Sargent  1
Affiliations

The Chronotype of Elite Athletes

Michele Lastella et al. J Hum Kinet. .

Abstract

The aims of this study were (i) to compare the chronotype distribution of elite athletes to a young adult population and (ii) to determine if there was a tendency for athletes to select and/or participate in sports which suited their chronotype. A total of 114 elite athletes from five sports (cricket, cycling, hockey, soccer and triathlon) participated in this study. The participants' chronotype, sleepiness, sleep satisfaction and sleep quality were determined using the Horne and Östberg Morningness and Eveningness questionnaire, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and questions concerning their sleep satisfaction and quality. All questionnaires were administered during a typical training phase that was not in the lead up to competition and/or post competition. No differences between chronotype group for sleepiness, sleep satisfaction or sleep quality were found. There was a significantly higher proportion of triathletes that were morning and intermediate types compared to the control group χ2 (2) = 7.5, p = 0.02. A significant relationship between sport and chronotype group (χ2(4)=15.9, p = 0.04) was observed, with a higher frequency of morning types involved in sports that required morning training. There was a clear indication that athletes tended to select and pursue sports that suited their chronotype. This was evident by the amount of morning types involved in morning sports. Given that athletes are more likely to pursue and excel in sports which suit their chronotype, it is recommended that coaches consider the athlete's chronotype during selection processes or if possible design and implement changes to training schedules to either suit the athletes' chronotype or the timing of an upcoming competition.

Keywords: circadian preference; sleep; sport.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Frequency distribution of athletes’ chronotype according to sport
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Adan A, Archer SN, Hidalgo MP, Di Milia L, Natale V, Randler C. Circadian typology: A comprehensive review. Chronobiol Int. 2012;29(9):1153–1175. - PubMed
    1. Belenky G, Wesensten NJ, Thorne DR, Thomas ML, Sing HC, Redmond DP, Russo MB, Balkin TJ. Patterns of performance degradation and restoration during sleep restriction and subsequent recovery: a sleep dose-response study. J Sleep Res. 2003;12(1):1–12. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Blumert P, Crum AJ, Ernstrung M, Volek JS, Hollander DB, Haff EE, Haff GG. The acute effects of twenty-four hours of sleep loss on the performance of national-caliber male collegiate weightlifters. J Strength Cond. 2007;21(4):1146–1154. - PubMed
    1. Chtourou H, Chaouachi A, Driss T, Dogui M, Behm DG, Chamari K, Souissi N. The effect of training at the same time of day and tapering period on the diurnal variation of short exercise performances. J Strength Cond. 2012;26(3):697–708. - PubMed
    1. Clodore M, Benoit O, Foret J, Bouard G. The Multiple Sleep Latency Test: Individual variability and time of day effect in normal young adults. Sleep. 1990;13(5):385–394. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources