Sleep Health and Associations With Early Cardiovascular Risk in U.S. Collegiate Female Athletes
Authors' conclusion
Poor sleep health, including sleep apnea, was common in this cohort of U.S. collegiate female athletes.
Study context
- Population
- US collegiate female athletes (basketball, softball, volleyball)
- Participants
- 68 athletes
- Exposure
- Athletes with sleep apnea vs without
- Sleep apnean = 17
- Outcome
- Prevalence of sleep apnea and its associations with anthropometrics, SBP and DBP, arterial stiffness and LV structure and function
Methodological details2 NCAA Division-I programs
- 2 NCAA Division-I programs
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Prevalence of sleep health problems
Mild sleep apnea (apnea-hypopnea index ≥5)
N = 17, 25%
Poor sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index >5)
N = 24, 36%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Lean mass as independent predictor of sleep apnea
| OR (95% CI) | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lean mass | 1.14 (1.04–1.28) | P < 0.01 | |
| 0.512Odds ratio (log scale) |
| Outcome | β (95% CI) | P value |
|---|---|---|
| Characteristics of athletes with vs without sleep apneaSleep apnea vs No sleep apnea · age 19.0 [18.0, 21.0] vs 18.00 [18.00, 19.00] | P = 0.03 | |
| Characteristics of athletes with vs without sleep apneaSleep apnea vs No sleep apnea · lean mass 61.6 [58.5, 67.3] vs 54.2 [51.8, 59.3] | P < 0.01 | |
| Characteristics of athletes with vs without sleep apneaSleep apnea vs No sleep apnea · pulse wave velocity 5.3 [5.1, 6.0] vs 4.9 [4.5, 5.4] | P = 0.01 | |
| Higher apnea-hypopnea index and arterial stiffnessIndependent association | 0.09 (0.04–0.15) | P < 0.01 |
Original publication
Sleep Health and Associations With Early Cardiovascular Risk in U.S. Collegiate Female Athletes. JACC Adv. Published 6 November 2025. doi:10.
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