Effects of team sports on sleep quality: a systematic review

Introduction Sleep disturbances are a prevalent global health concern with wide-ranging negative consequences. Although physical activity is recognized as a cost-effective strategy to enhance sleep quality, the specific impact of team sports such as football, basketball, handball, and volleyball—remains underexplored. This study systematically examines the effects of team sports on sleep quality. Methods A comprehensive search strategy was used to retrieve all studies indexed in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science databases (up to June 11, 2024) with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines. The search strategy incorporated keywords such as “Team sport*” OR “Teamsport*” OR “Handball” OR “Volleyball*” OR “Basketball*” OR “Netball*” OR “Basket ball” OR “football” OR “soccer” AND “Sleep Qualit*”. Results Out of 1,148 initially identified records, 491 studies were screened, and 11 met the inclusion criteria for review. These studies involved 809 participants (367 males, 442 females) aged 13.5–65 years, including adolescents, college students, elite athletes, and untrained individuals. Findings showed that soccer, Zumba, volleyball, and handball interventions significantly improved sleep quality, while results for basketball were inconsistent college players benefited, but elite and wheelchair athletes showed no significant changes. Conclusion Participation in team sports such as basketball, football, Zumba, handball, and volleyball appears to be associated with improvements in sleep quality. However, given the limited number of included studies and the heterogeneity in study designs, populations, and outcome measures, these findings should be interpreted with caution. Overall, the current evidence suggests a potentially positive relationship between engagement in team sports and sleep outcomes, but further well-designed and large-scale studies are needed to establish the strength and generalizability of this association. Systematic Review Registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024557907 , identifier CRD42024557907.