Team sports may improve sleep quality but evidence is inconsistent and limited

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Frontiers in Medicine Published June 3, 2026 Medically reviewed June 3, 2026 Study authors: Mohammad Mehdi Khaleghi, Fatemeh Ahmadi, Alireza Rabieezadeh, Josyula Tejaswi, Karuppasamy Govindasa… DOI ↗ By Dr. Ji-eun Park, MD · Brain, Mind & Pain

Key Takeaway

Consider team sports as a potential sleep aid, but evidence is inconsistent and limited.

This systematic review examined the association between team sports (football, basketball, handball, volleyball) and sleep quality in adolescents, college students, elite athletes, and untrained individuals. The analysis included 809 participants (367 males, 442 females) from a limited number of studies. The primary outcome was sleep quality.

Results were mixed: some studies reported significantly improved sleep quality, others found no significant changes, and some showed inconsistent results. The authors describe a potentially positive relationship but emphasize that findings should be interpreted with caution due to heterogeneity in study designs, populations, and outcome measures.

Key limitations include the limited number of included studies and the heterogeneity across designs, populations, and outcome measures. Adverse events and funding sources were not reported. The authors conclude that further well-designed, large-scale studies are needed to establish the strength and generalizability of the association.

For clinicians, this review suggests a possible link between team sports participation and better sleep, but the evidence is too inconsistent to support firm recommendations. The association should not be interpreted as causal.

Study Details

Study typeMeta analysis

EvidenceLevel 1

PublishedJun 2026

View Original Abstract ↓

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. 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*”. 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. 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. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024557907, identifier CRD42024557907.