Pain, Fatigue and Sleep Quality of E-Athletes

December 8, 2025 updated by: Melike Sumeyye Ozen, Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University

Investigation of Factors Associated With Pain, Fatigue and Sleep Quality in E-Athletes

E-Sports, which attract great attention in the media and social networks, brings health problems and some risks, depending on the attractiveness of games and the time spent in the digital world. When the investigators examine the literature, although different studies are showing that E-Athletes experience pain and sleep problems, no study examines the factors related to pain and sleep quality together. Therefore, our study was planned to examine the factors associated with pain, fatigue, and sleep quality in E-Athletes.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

86

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Balıkesir
      • Bandırma, Balıkesir, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Melike Sumeyye Ozen

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

E-sports players over the age of 18 who have participated in professional matches for at least one year will be included in the study.

Description

The inclusion criteria were: (1) being between 18 and 35 years of age, (2) being under contract with a professional gaming corporation, (3) being primarily engaged in esports through a computer-based game, (4) having at least one year of professional gaming experience, and (5) volunteering to participate in the study.

The exclusion criteria were: (1) being retired from esports and (2) having any systemic, orthopedic, or neurological disease.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Cohort
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
E-Athletes
E-Athletes who are over the age of 18, have participated in professional matches for at least one year, and have an E-sports license were evaluated.
Other: Assessment
Assessment of pain, fatigue, sleep quality, physical activity status, and e-sports-specific features

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
Time Frame: baseline
It is used to assess sleep quality. The total score ranges from 0 to 21. The sleep quality of people with a total score of less than 5 is "good"; For those with more than 5, it means "poor" sleep quality.
baseline
Epworth Sleepiness Scale
Time Frame: baseline
It is used to evaluate daytime sleepiness. The scoring method is the same for all questions, 0 if there is no probability of falling asleep, 1 if there is a low probability of falling asleep, 2 if there is a medium probability, and 3 if there is a high probability of falling asleep. A score of 10 or more indicates the presence of excessive daytime sleepiness.
baseline
Pain assessment
Time Frame: baseline
The area where the pain is experienced, the situation of applying to a health institution for pain, the situation of applying to a physiotherapist for pain, and pain severity (with the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) will be questioned. NRS: The number 0 is defined as "no pain" and the number 10 as "unbearable pain".
baseline
Fatigue severity
Time Frame: baseline
Fatigue severity will be evaluated using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), where 0 will indicate "no fatigue" and 10 will indicate "worst possible fatigue." Participants will report the degree of fatigue they will have felt during the past 24 hours, reflecting their overall daily experience.
baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Demographic variables
Time Frame: baseline
Age, gender
baseline
Esports-related characteristics
Time Frame: baseline
duration of professional gaming, daily computer use, game branch, place of competition, and game type
baseline
Physical activity status
Time Frame: baseline
will be classified as active if they engage in ≥150 min/week
baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

August 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 5, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 13, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

December 15, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 16, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 8, 2025

Last Verified

December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2022-84

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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