Basketball enthusiasts are on a losing streak when it comes to sleep. A new poll shows that more than half (55%) of NBA fans watching the playoffs reported going to sleep later than normal on nights when they watched a game; of these, nearly 92% reported going to sleep an hour or more later than usual.(1)
"Although many devoted fans don't mind trading some sleep for the excitement of the game, they should be aware that several nights of continued sleep loss have a negative effect on daily function," said Dr. Thomas Roth, PhD, Director of the Sleep Disorders and Research Center at Henry Ford Hospital, in Detroit, Michigan. "Many fans think they'll be able to catch up on sleep after the playoffs end, but rarely do people invest the extra sleep time necessary to overcome earlier deficits."
Snoozing After the Final Score The nationwide poll, sponsored by Sanofi-Synthelabo Inc., the maker of the sleep medication Ambien(R) (zolpidem tartrate) CIV, surveyed 297 basketball fans nationwide and was conducted during the first round of the NBA playoffs. Sixty-four percent of the fans polled said they had watched three or more games completely.
In addition to going to bed late after a game, some survey respondents (16%) said they had difficulty falling asleep after a game, and 68% of these fans cited "an exciting game" as the reason for their insomnia.
Fans of losing teams were more likely to have trouble falling asleep after game's end than those whose teams prevailed. Of those reporting trouble drifting off at the game's conclusion, 39% said it was because their team lost an important game, and 16% said it was because their team won a key game.(1)
"Many times people become so enthralled by an exciting game that it becomes a stressor to them and it actually becomes difficult to fall asleep once they're in bed," said Dr. Roth. "Losing a game, particularly a close contest, can cause so much stress that some fans may lie awake in bed for hours rehashing the game in their mind."
According to a recent study published in Psychosomatic Medicine, individuals may become more vulnerable to insomnia when they lack control over stressful events,(2) such as an important sports game.
With more than 40 million Americans already suffering from sleep disorders,(3) this may put sports fans at a greater disadvantage of getting the recommended 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. Other Factors That "Net" Sleep Loss The survey revealed other findings that may be linked to sleep loss during the NBA playoffs.