Effects of Late-Night Training on “Slow-Wave Sleep Episode” and Hour-by-Hour-Derived Nocturnal Cardiac Autonomic Activity in Female Soccer Players

To assess the sensitivity of nocturnal heart-rate-variability-monitoring methods to the effects of late-night soccer training sessions in female athletes.Eleven female soccer players competing in the first division of the Portuguese soccer league wore heart-rate monitors during sleep at night throughout a 1-wk competitive in-season microcycle, after late-night training sessions (n = 3) and rest days (n = 3). Heart rate variability was analyzed...