20.500.12556/RUL-183016 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 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 t-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. sport referee combat sports sleep quality officiating decision making šport sodniki borilni športi kakovost spanca sojenje odločanje true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-06-01 13:08:41 2026-06-01 13:08:42 2026-06-02 04:34:20 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 14 str. iss. 13, art. 7452 Vol. 15 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 796.8 2076-3417 10.3390/app15137452 244082179 applsci-15-07452-v2.pdf applsci-15-07452-v2.pdf 1 ED1D7C1C21190E084C4EFEDD7F2A0379 c58cd7ad2aaa8e1c714626b13486251acc18910ad14c8fa42f189ae013ddd378 4978bbd6-5daa-11f1-b0ab-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=234802 https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/13/7452 1 e4b80bef-5da9-11f1-b0ab-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=234800 Fakulteta za šport 0 0 0