Sleep architecture is altered with travel and matches in professional rugby union players

Field-based athlete research has primarily focused on sleep-wake patterns, but technological advancements now enable detailed assessment of sleep architecture. This study compared sleep quantity, quality, and architecture during home (no travel; HOME) and away (eastbound travel across three time zones; AWAY) matches in professional male rugby union. The sleep of twenty athletes was assessed using home-based polysomnography over three nights per condition: two nights preceding the match (MD-2), match night (MD), and the following night after (MD + 1). Sleep duration, efficiency, onset/offset, latency, wake after sleep onset, awakenings, and sleep stages (as light, deep and rapid eye movement [REM] sleep, evaluated as proportion [%] and time [min]) were monitored. Compared to HOME, AWAY increased sleep onset latency (+12 ± 23 min; p < 0.01) and reduced light sleep (−6.2 ± 7.1%; p < 0.01). Match days (MD) incurred delayed bedtime (+71 ± 135 min; p < 0.001), reduced sleep duration (−94 ± 120 min; p < 0.05), and altered sleep architecture (deep: +9.8 ± 10.0%; REM: −6.9 ± 8.3%; both p < 0.05) compared to MD-2. On MD + 1, sleep duration (+96 ± 147 min; p < 0.01) and light and REM sleep time rebounded (+52 ± 44 min and + 39 ± 52 min, respectively; both p < 0.05). Travel and matches altered sleep architecture in professional rugby. Training and flight schedules should ensure sufficient sleep opportunity after travel and matchday to optimise recovery.