You Snooze, You Win? An Ecological Dynamics Framework Approach to Understanding the Relationships Between Sleep and Sensorimotor Performance in Sport

Combined effects of time-of-day and simulated military operational stress on perception-action coupling performance

Perception-action coupling, the ability to 'read and react' to the environment, is essential for military personnel to operate within complex and unpredictable environments. Exposure to military operational stressors (e.g., caloric restriction, sleep loss, physical exertion), including around-the-clock operations, may compromise perception-action coupling, thereby impacting performance and safety. We examined the combined effects of simulated military operational stress (SMOS) and time-of-day on perception-action coupling. Fifty-seven active duty and reservist military personnel (45 M; 26.4 ± 5.6 years) completed a 5-day SMOS protocol that included two consecutive days of caloric restriction, and sleep restriction, and disruption. Participants completed a tablet-based perception-action coupling task (PACT) that involves perceiving whether virtual balls fit through virtual apertures. Familiarization occurred on day 0. Eight trials across day 1 (18:00, 22:00), 2 (04:00, 18:00, 22:00) and 3 (04:00, 18:00, 22:00) were analyzed. Mixed models were run to examine the interactive and main effects of day, and time-of-day on PACT response speed and accuracy outcomes. PACT response speed and accuracy outcomes improved at 18:00 and 22:00, whereas performance at 04:00 deteriorated across days. Perception-action coupling performance was resilient to SMOS, except in the early morning when the circadian drive for sleep is high, and the effects of sleep loss are more prominent.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Brazilian version of the Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire

Introduction:

Considering the specificity of the sporting context and the influence of sleep on athletic performance, the “athlete sleep behavior questionnare” (ASBQ) was developed to evaluate sleep behavior in English-speaking athletes.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to perform a cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the ASBQ in Brazilian athletes.

Methods:

The cross-cultural adaptation was processed by procedures of translation and back-translation. Content validity was performed by 9 experts, calculating the coefficient of content validity for the equivalence of the individual items (Cvci) and the total global score (Cvct), in addition we conducted a pilot study using the translated version of the questionnaire. The next phase of the study included 52 athletes completing the translated ASBQ. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM) and by Cronbach’s alpha (α).

Results:

The ASBQ passed the process of cross-cultural adaptation, obtaining the Brazilian Version of the ASBQ (ASBQ-BR), and with acceptable values of Cvci (0.89-1.00) and Cvct (0.96). Additionally, the ASBQ-BR showed acceptable values of reliability (ICC=0.857; Cronbach’s α=0.78) and a SEM of 3.05 AU.

Conclusion:

The ASBQ was translated to a newly developed ASBQ-BR, resulting in acceptable values for content validity and reliability. The ASBQ-BR provides a valuable tool for monitoring sleep behaviors in Brazilian athletes.