Pre-sleep Feeding In Ncaa Division I Female Athletes

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Due to the high metabolic demand of sport, it is essential that athletes meet their caloric need to support training, recovery, and muscle growth. Consuming protein (30-40 g) before sleep may have positive effects on muscle protein synthesis, overnight recovery, and performance. Currently no data exists to assess pre-sleep nutrition habits in elite female athletes. PURPOSE: To examine the frequency and content of pre-sleep nutrition in elite female athletes. METHODS: 483 Division I female athletes (mean ± SD: age: 21.4 ± 2.5 yrs, weight 67.1 ± 10.2 kg, height 171.2 ± 8.9 cm) from four universities wore a WHOOP, Inc. band 24 h a day for the entire 2020-2021 competitive season to measure activity, sleep, and recovery. Surveys were administered through the WHOOP app every 3 days over the season to collect data on pre-sleep feeding habits. Descriptive results were completed using R studio. RESULTS: 3741 pre-sleep feeding survey responses were recorded. Of that, 23.9% (n = 895) of the data was unusable as caloric content could not be determined due to insufficient data reported. The remaining 76.1% (n = 2846) of the survey responses were made up of 276 athletes, of which, 21% (n = 58) ate before bed more than once. The average pre-sleep food intake for n = 58 consisted of total kcals (mean ± SD: 283.4 ± 68.8 kcals), protein (8.3 ± 3.2 g; 11.5% of total kcals), carbohydrate (35.8 ± 13.0 g; 50.4% of total kcals), and fat (12.1 ± 3.8 g; 38.1% of total kcals). Percentage of each sport that ate before sleep was 24.1% soccer, 13.8% swimming, 12.2% cross country, 8.6% volleyball, 6.9% softball, 5.3% beach volleyball, 3.4% golf, lacrosse, and tennis, 1.7% basketball, and 17.2% the sport was not specified. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to investigate the self-reported frequency of pre-sleep feeding in a wide range of female sports at the NCAA Division I level. Of 483 female athletes in the study, only 58 users recorded that they ate before bed on more than one occurrence. Meals prior to bed primarily consisted of carbohydrate (50.4%) and fat (38.1%), with only 11.5% of pre-sleep kcals coming from protein. The impact of pre-sleep feeding on next-day performance and recovery is warranted. This study was supported by WHOOP, Inc.