Written vs. verbal sleep hygiene strategies administration in track and field athletes: a randomized controlled trial study.

Authors

Stefano Borghi, Lucia Imperiali, Jacopo Vitale, Roberto Codella, Antonio LA Torre, Elisa Tallini, Rocco Sarubbi, Sara Bizzozero

Published in

The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness. Aug 03, 2026. Epub Aug 03, 2026.

Abstract

Sleep hygiene strategies (SHS) are practical, evidence-informed recommendations to enhance both the quantity and quality of sleep in athletes. However, little is known about how these strategies could be communicated and implemented in practice. The primary objective of this study is to investigate how different methods of delivering SHS (written vs. verbal) affect sleep hygiene and sleep parameters in athletes.
The study was a three-arms randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT07083544) involving track and field athletes competing at the regional or national level (N.=66). Athletes were randomized to either a control group (CON=22), a written SHS group (W-SHS=22), or a verbal SHS group (V-SHS=22). Sleep characteristics were assessed by actigraphy and sleep diary during a ten-day baseline period (T0) and a ten-day intervention period (T1). Six objective sleep parameters and the Sleep Regularity Index were assessed. Participants also completed a training diary and the Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI).
No statistical differences were found between and within groups in training and sleep parameters, but SHI scores improved significantly in the intervention groups between T0 and T1, with differences compared to the control group. A non-significant improvement in total sleep time was observed in the intervention groups, primarily due to earlier bedtimes.
While significant differences in objective sleep measures were not observed, the trends suggest that both written and verbal SHS interventions can modestly improve sleep-related behaviors, particularly by encouraging earlier bedtimes and slightly extending total sleep duration.

PMID:
42544425
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 03 Aug 2026.

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