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

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.