Wearing Lower-Body Compression Tights to Bed After Cycling Exercise Does Not Affect Subsequent Sleep in Healthy Male Adults

Charli Sargent; Shona L Halson; Matthew Morrison; Carissa Gardiner; Dean J Miller; Bree L Elliot; Katrina Nguyen; James R Broatch; Jonathon Weakley; Gregory D Roach

doi:10.3390/s26051625

Back

Wearing Lower-Body Compression Tights to Bed After Cycling Exercise Does Not Affect Subsequent Sleep in Healthy Male Adults

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Wearing Lower-Body Compression Tights to Bed After Cycling Exercise Does Not Affect Subsequent Sleep in Healthy Male Adults

Charli Sargent, Shona L Halson, Matthew Morrison, Carissa Gardiner, Dean J Miller, Bree L Elliot, Katrina Nguyen, James R Broatch, Jonathon Weakley and Gregory D Roach

Sensors, Vol.26(5), pp.1-14

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/s26051625

PMID: 41829585

Files and links (1)

pdf

sensors-26-01625 (2)714.25 kBDownload View

Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access

Abstract

recovery

slow wave sleep

rapid eye movement sleep

polysomnography

cycle ergometer

There is some evidence to indicate that lower-body compression garments aid recovery from exercise by improving sleep quality, but this evidence is based on measures derived from self-reports and accelerometers. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of wearing lower-body compression tights to bed on sleep following a bout of exercise, using the gold standard for sleep measurement. Twelve healthy males participated in a within-subjects, counterbalanced, randomized study with two conditions: (i) Treatment—wearing compression tights to bed after exercise, and (ii) Control—not wearing compression tights to bed after exercise. In both conditions, participants completed 40 min of moderate-intensity exercise in the afternoon and had a 9 h sleep opportunity at night. Objective and subjective assessments of sleep were obtained using polysomnography and visual analogue scales, respectively. Wearing compression tights to bed did not affect the objective measures, including sleep onset latency (p = 0.572); sleep efficiency (p = 0.754); total sleep time (p = 0.953); amount of slow-wave sleep (p = 0.374); and amount of rapid eye movement sleep (p = 0.638). Furthermore, wearing compression tights to bed did not affect the subjective measures, including sleep quality (p = 0.549), comfort (p = 0.548), and pain (p = 0.838). Wearing lower-body compression tights to bed after moderate-intensity exercise does not improve the quantity or quality of sleep obtained. Athletes who choose to wear compression tights to bed for the perceived benefits for recovery after exercise can do so without any undue effects on sleep.

Details

Title: Wearing Lower-Body Compression Tights to Bed After Cycling Exercise Does Not Affect Subsequent Sleep in Healthy Male Adults
Authors: Charli Sargent (Corresponding Author) - Central Queensland University
Shona L Halson (Author) - Australian Catholic University
Matthew Morrison (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for Human Factors and Systems Science
Carissa Gardiner (Author) - Australian Catholic University
Dean J Miller (Author) - Central Queensland University
Bree L Elliot (Author) - Central Queensland University
Katrina Nguyen (Author) - Central Queensland University
James R Broatch (Author) - Victoria University
Jonathon Weakley (Author) - Australian Catholic University
Gregory D Roach (Author) - Central Queensland University
Publication details: Sensors, Vol.26(5), pp.1-14
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.3390/s26051625
ISSN: 1424-8220
PMID: 41829585
Copyright note: © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
Data Availability: Data supporting the reported results are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Grant note: This research was funded by 2XU (Melbourne, Australia).
Organisation Unit: Centre for Human Factors and Systems Science; School of Health - Sports & Exercise Science
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991214651802621
Output Type: Journal article

Metrics

1 Record Views