Sleep efficiency is positively associated with cardiac autonomic modulation and aerobic performance in soccer players, with professional athletes demonstrating superior physiological profiles reflecting a synergy between training adaptations and biological maturation.
Professional soccer players demonstrated significantly higher VO₂max compared to youth categories during pre-season.
Professional soccer players had significantly lower resting heart rate than youth categories.
Professional soccer players exhibited significantly greater parasympathetic cardiac autonomic modulation than youth categories.
Sleep efficiency was significantly higher in professional soccer players compared to youth categories.
Sleep efficiency was positively correlated with RMSSD, indicating an association between sleep quality and cardiac autonomic modulation.
HRV and PSQI were identified as complementary monitoring tools for integrated athlete assessment across competitive categories.
This research suggests that sleep quality and heart health regulation are closely linked in soccer players, with professional players sleeping more efficiently and having better-regulated heart rhythms than younger players. The study measured 53 male soccer players across three age/skill levels (under-15, under-17, and professionals) during pre-season training, tracking their sleep quality, heart rate variability (a measure of how well the nervous system regulates the heart), and aerobic fitness. Professional players stood out with higher aerobic capacity, lower resting heart rates, and stronger parasympathetic nervous system activity—the part of the nervous system responsible for recovery and rest—compared to younger athletes. One of the key findings is that players who slept more efficiently (spending more of their time in bed actually asleep, averaging about 91% for professionals) also tended to have better heart rate variability, specifically higher RMSSD values, which indicate healthier cardiac autonomic regulation. This relationship held across the group, suggesting sleep quality and heart rate regulation are interconnected aspects of athletic health. Additionally, better cardiac autonomic modulation was associated with better aerobic fitness classification. This research suggests that monitoring both sleep quality using tools like the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and heart rate variability may help coaches and sports medicine staff get a more complete picture of how athletes are recovering and adapting to training. The differences between youth and professional players likely reflect both years of training and natural physical maturation, meaning that younger athletes' profiles are not simply inferior but represent a different developmental stage. Tracking these measures together could help identify athletes who may be under-recovered or at risk of overtraining across different age groups and competitive levels.
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Upload Your LabsOliveira N, Abreu L, Ribeiro F, Silva B, Monteiro T, Correia M, et al.. (2026). Association of sleep efficiency with cardiac autonomic modulation in young and professional soccer players during pre-season.. Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-026-03811-y