Understanding Sleep Health in Judo Referees: The Influence of Demographic and Athletic Factors
Sleep is critical for cognitive and psychomotor performance in demanding decision-making contexts such as sports officiating. Given the lack of research in the field, the cognitive complexity, and the high-pressure environment of judo refereeing, this study aimed to evaluate the sleep quality of act...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| author | Semih Karaman Melike Keskinoglu Jožef Šimenko |
| author_facet | Semih Karaman Melike Keskinoglu Jožef Šimenko |
| author_sort | Semih Karaman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sleep is critical for cognitive and psychomotor performance in demanding decision-making contexts such as sports officiating. Given the lack of research in the field, the cognitive complexity, and the high-pressure environment of judo refereeing, this study aimed to evaluate the sleep quality of active judo referees and examine differences based on gender, age, refereeing experience, and athletic background. This cross-sectional study included 73 active Turkish judo referees (42 male, 31 female; age = 29.8 ± 11.0 years). Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and data were analysed using <i>t</i>-tests, ANOVA, correlation, regression, and mediation analyses. Data showed a mean sleep time of 7:43 + 1:27 and a total PSQI score of 7.21 + 3.53, and participants had been referees for a mean of 6.58 + 8.12 years. The overall sleep quality was suboptimal, with female referees reporting significantly poorer sleep than males. No significant differences in PSQI scores were found across referee seniority levels or educational levels. Correlation analysis showed significant negative associations between PSQI scores and both age and refereeing experience. The final hierarchical regression model with the age, gender, and athletic background significantly predicted PSQI scores. Mediation analysis further revealed that referee qualification level indirectly influenced sleep quality through age. The study is the first one in this area of judo referring, and it highlights poor sleep quality among judo referees, regardless of experience or qualification level, with gender, age, and athletic background emerging as key predictors. The lack of sleep education in both athletic and refereeing careers suggests a need for targeted interventions, especially for younger and female referees, to improve performance and prevent health issues. Further research is needed to explore these relationships over time and in elite-level referees. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bf7a55408d484cdb8f8f0c3b748015fc |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-bf7a55408d484cdb8f8f0c3b748015fc2025-08-20T03:17:52ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-07-011513745210.3390/app15137452Understanding Sleep Health in Judo Referees: The Influence of Demographic and Athletic FactorsSemih Karaman0Melike Keskinoglu1Jožef Šimenko2Department of Physical Education and Sports, Sport Science Faculty, Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University, 14030 Bolu, TürkiyeDepartment of Physical Education and Sports, Sport Science Faculty, Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University, 14030 Bolu, TürkiyeDepartment of Sports Medicine, Faculty of Sport, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, SloveniaSleep is critical for cognitive and psychomotor performance in demanding decision-making contexts such as sports officiating. Given the lack of research in the field, the cognitive complexity, and the high-pressure environment of judo refereeing, this study aimed to evaluate the sleep quality of active judo referees and examine differences based on gender, age, refereeing experience, and athletic background. This cross-sectional study included 73 active Turkish judo referees (42 male, 31 female; age = 29.8 ± 11.0 years). Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and data were analysed using <i>t</i>-tests, ANOVA, correlation, regression, and mediation analyses. Data showed a mean sleep time of 7:43 + 1:27 and a total PSQI score of 7.21 + 3.53, and participants had been referees for a mean of 6.58 + 8.12 years. The overall sleep quality was suboptimal, with female referees reporting significantly poorer sleep than males. No significant differences in PSQI scores were found across referee seniority levels or educational levels. Correlation analysis showed significant negative associations between PSQI scores and both age and refereeing experience. The final hierarchical regression model with the age, gender, and athletic background significantly predicted PSQI scores. Mediation analysis further revealed that referee qualification level indirectly influenced sleep quality through age. The study is the first one in this area of judo referring, and it highlights poor sleep quality among judo referees, regardless of experience or qualification level, with gender, age, and athletic background emerging as key predictors. The lack of sleep education in both athletic and refereeing careers suggests a need for targeted interventions, especially for younger and female referees, to improve performance and prevent health issues. Further research is needed to explore these relationships over time and in elite-level referees.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/13/7452refereecombat sportssleep qualityofficiatingdecision making |
| spellingShingle | Semih Karaman Melike Keskinoglu Jožef Šimenko Understanding Sleep Health in Judo Referees: The Influence of Demographic and Athletic Factors Applied Sciences referee combat sports sleep quality officiating decision making |
| title | Understanding Sleep Health in Judo Referees: The Influence of Demographic and Athletic Factors |
| title_full | Understanding Sleep Health in Judo Referees: The Influence of Demographic and Athletic Factors |
| title_fullStr | Understanding Sleep Health in Judo Referees: The Influence of Demographic and Athletic Factors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding Sleep Health in Judo Referees: The Influence of Demographic and Athletic Factors |
| title_short | Understanding Sleep Health in Judo Referees: The Influence of Demographic and Athletic Factors |
| title_sort | understanding sleep health in judo referees the influence of demographic and athletic factors |
| topic | referee combat sports sleep quality officiating decision making |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/13/7452 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT semihkaraman understandingsleephealthinjudorefereestheinfluenceofdemographicandathleticfactors AT melikekeskinoglu understandingsleephealthinjudorefereestheinfluenceofdemographicandathleticfactors AT jozefsimenko understandingsleephealthinjudorefereestheinfluenceofdemographicandathleticfactors |