Pre-sleep feeding, sleep quality, and markers of recovery in division I NCAA female soccer players

Pre-sleep nutrition habits in elite female athletes have yet to be evaluated. A retrospective analysis was performed with 14 NCAA Division I female soccer players who wore a WHOOP, Inc. band - a wearable device that quantifies recovery by measuring sleep, activity, and heart rate metrics through actigraphy and photoplethysmography, respectively - 24 h a day for an entire competitive season to measure sleep and recovery. Pre-sleep food consumption data were collected via surveys every 3 days. Average pre-sleep nutritional intake (mean & PLUSMN; sd: kcals 330 & PLUSMN; 284; cho 46.2 & PLUSMN; 40.5 g; pro 7.6 & PLUSMN; 7.3 g; fat 12 & PLUSMN; 10.5 g) was recorded. Macronutrients and kcals were grouped into high and low categories based upon the 50(th) percentile of the mean to compare the impact of a high versus low pre-sleep intake on sleep and recovery variables. Sleep duration (p = 0.10, 0.69, 0.16, 0.17) and sleep disturbances (p = 0.42, 0.65, 0.81, 0.81) were not affected by high versus low kcal, PRO, fat, CHO intake, respectively. Recovery (p = 0.81, 0.06, 0.81, 0.92), RHR (p = 0.84, 0.64, 0.26, 0.66), or HRV (p = 0.84, 0.70, 0.76, 0.93) were also not affected by high versus low kcal, PRO, fat, or CHO consumption, respectively. Consuming a small meal before bed may have no impact on sleep or recovery.

Automated summary

The pre-sleep nutrition habits of elite female athletes have not been evaluated. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 14 NCAA Division I female soccer players, measuring their average pre-sleep nutritional intake. The study found that consuming a small meal before bed had no impact on sleep and recovery.