Journal of Jiroft University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: sleep is an important requirement I;n human life and sleep problem is considered as one of the problems affecting quality of life in the disabled. The aim of this study was to compare sleep quality of` disabled athletes and non-athletes in Qom province.

Methods: With regard to the nature of subject, causal-comparative research design was used. The population of this study consisted of physically disabled persons in welfare organization of Qom province. Subjects of disabled athletes and non-athletes were matched in terms of demographic variables such as age, employment and marital status which were selected by convenience sampling. This means that sixty disabled non-athletes (30 women, 30 men) and sixty disabled athletes (30 women, 30 men) were selected to be matched. The instrument utilized in this study was Pitersburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). This self-report questionnaire is a tool designed by Buysee et al (1989). The questionnaire has seven components. To analyze data, descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation and inferential statistics including T-test using SPSS-22 software were used.

Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference in average sleep quality (total), sleep quality, typical sleep efficiency, total sleep time, impaired daily functioningand the time it takes to fall asleep between groups of disabled athletes and non-athletes (P<0/05), and in measures of sleep disorders and use of sleep medication orders there was no significant difference between groups (P>0/05).

Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that participating in sport activities can lead to better sleep with higher quality for persons with disabilities and play a large role in improving quality of life and mental health in these dear ones.