Perceptual Well-Being and Sleep Patterns Are Negatively Impacted Surrounding Games Irrespective of Schedule Among Elite Basketball Referees: An Exploratory, Observational Study

Evaluate changes in well-being and sleep surrounding regular and condensed game schedules among elite basketball referees. Eleven referees officiating in the Australian Women’s National Basketball League competition completed a daily questionnaire to quantify well-being (sleep quality, mood, stress fatigue, muscle soreness, and total well-being z-score) and sleep patterns (bedtime, waketime, and time in bed) from the previous night throughout the 2020 season. Linear mixed models and Hedges gav were used to assess differences in well-being and sleep patterns before and after games during regular (one game), condensed schedules (two game on consecutive days), and compared to baseline (no game). During regular schedules, greater fatigue (P = .010, small) and poorer well-being z-score (P = .047, small) were observed on post-game mornings compared to pre-game mornings. Moreover, pre-game bedtime was earlier compared to baseline (P = .019, small), and post-game (P