Optimizing residential light environments in simulated youth olympic village for improving young athletes’ sleep quality and reducing next-morning drowsiness

Abstract

The concept of High-tech Olympics is pivotal in the modern Olympic Games. Athletes reside in the Olympic Village during the games. Therefore, ensuring a healthy and intelligent environment in the Olympic Village is crucial. A significant factor in this respect is the light environment. Previous studies indicated that adolescents are particularly sensitive to the residential light environment, adolescents experience improved sleep quality in a low correlated color temperature (CCT) light environment in the evening. However, little is known about the effects of low CCT light with varying illuminance on adolescents in the evening and the next morning. Hence, this study conducted a 17-day randomized, controlled trial (7-day baseline and 10-day light intervention) in a simulated Youth Olympic Village. Sixteen young professional athletes (12.3 ± 2.1 years of age) participated in this study. They were randomly assigned (1:1) to either a 160 lx (dim light group) or 200 lx (bright light group) environment 1 h before bedtime. Both groups had the same spectrum (CCT: 2000 K). The results of blood tests (melatonin and cortisol) and self-reported questionnaires consistently showed that young athletes in the dim light group significantly enhanced sleep quality and reduced next-morning drowsiness compared to those in the bright light group (p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that illuminance, along with wavelength, crucially impacts young athletes' sleep quality and next-morning drowsiness in residential light environments, which provide valuable guidance for young athletes participating in the upcoming Youth Olympic Games.