The Sleep and Diet of Elite Female Australian Rules Football Athletes Differ With Age and Season Phase

The Australian Football League Women's (AFLW) competition is comprised of a short, intensive competitive season, highlighting the importance of proper fuelling and recovery to support performance. Little is known about the dietary and sleep habits of AFLW athletes across a season, and the influence that age has on these behaviours. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effects of season phase and age on dietary intake and sleep in elite AFLW athletes. Dietary intake and sleep were assessed in 22 AFLW athletes (25.9 ± 5.0 y) over 10 nights, including five consecutive nights during both pre‐season and in‐season. Dietary intake was quantified through self‐reported food diaries using a smartphone application (Easy Diet Diary), and sleep via a wearable monitoring device (Oura ring). Restricted maximum likelihood mixed models were used to determine variations in dietary intake and sleep in AFLW players between season phases (i.e., pre‐season vs. in‐season) and age. In‐season protein (115.15 ± 35.14 vs. 126.48 ± 40.10 g, p = 0.026) and fat intakes (72.93 ± 29.55 vs. 83.43 ± 33.14 g, p = 0.012) were significantly lower compared to pre‐season, with no differences in sleep measures observed between season phases. While age did not influence dietary intake, each additional year of age was associated with 8 min less sleep ( p = 0.001) and 4 min earlier wake times ( p = 0.032). These findings suggest that protein and fat intakes fluctuate across the seasons, with increasing age being a non‐modifiable risk factor for shorter sleep durations within AFLW athletes.