Author(s): GALASSO, L.1, CASTELLI, L.1, CIORCIARI, A.1, BORRELLI, M.1, ESPOSITO, F.1, MONTARULI, A.1, ROVEDA, E.1 , Institution: UNIVERSITY OF MILAN, Country: ITALY, Abstract-ID: 519

INTRODUCTION:
Active university students generally report better sleep quality than their inactive mates, as well as Morning- (MT) sleep better than Evening-types (ET) [1-3]. The present study evaluates the differences in sleep quality (SQ) in highly active students and the potential moderation effect of physical activity (PA) on the relationship between SQ and chronotype.
METHODS:
433 university students at the Sports Science School (University of Milan) (males=70%; 19.7±1.6 years) filled in the Godin-Shepard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire (GSL-TPAQ – LSI as measure unit), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire, to assess PA, SQ, and chronotype. All the participants were highly active and divided into tertiles based on GSL-TPAQ: low (LSI<53), medium (LSI>53 and<72), and high (LSI>72). A three-way ANOVA (sex, chronotype, and PA effects) and moderation analysis with PA, SQ, and chronotype as the moderator, independent and dependent factors were performed.
RESULTS:
65% of the participants were good sleepers. The chronotype*physical activity interaction was significant (p=0.03), with ET sleeping significantly worse than Neither-types (NT) considering either low (ET: 5.4±2.2; NT: 4.5±1.7; p=0.04) or medium PA tertile (ET: 5.3±2.1; NT: 4.4±1.9; p=0.03) and compared to MT in high PA tertile (ET: 5.7±1.8; MT: 4.4± 2; p=0.02). Considering the MT sample, the participants in the low PA tertile slept significantly worse than those in the high PA tertile (low: 5.6±1.8; high: 4.3±2; p=0.05). The moderation analysis was significant (β=0.4, p =0.02) at the 50th and 84th percentile (p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively), explaining that, in the medium-high PA level, only MT improved the sleep quality while increasing the PA.
CONCLUSION:
University students of Sports Science showed good sleep quality. Their active nature could predispose them to sleep better. MT, rather than ET, university students are those who benefit most from PA to improve their SQ. ET students have to deal with various factors affecting their SQ, and the PA alone is insufficient to smooth out the problems causing bad SQ.

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