Mastering Your Sleep

Effects of sleep extension on performance (1-4)

Additional hours of sleep beyond the recommended 7-8 hours per night:

• Sprint speed was 0.7 seconds faster
• Max Strength force increased by 17 pounds
• Reaction Time was 4.38 milliseconds faster
• 3 point shooting accuracy increased by 13.7%

Effects of sleep loss on performance (5)

Sleeping less than the recommended 7-8 hours per night:

• 6.3% decrease in anaerobic power
• 6.2% decrease in high intensity intervals
• 2.8% decrease in strength
• 5.5% decrease in endurance
• 8.8% decrease in strength-endurance
• 20.9% decrease in skill

Effects of sleep on sport performance

In soccer players with sleep loss (8):

• Passing Accuracy decreased 4%
• Juggling decreased 2.8%
• Trapping/ball control decreased 4%

In golfers with sleep loss (7):

• Putting accuracy decreased 0.7 inches

In baseball players with extra sleep (9):

• Cognitive Response Time improved 13%
• Daytime sleepiness decreased 38.6%

Infographic references:

1. Silva, A. C., Silva, A., Edwards, B. J., Tod, D., Souza Amaral, A., de Alcântara Borba, D., Grade, I., & Túlio de Mello, M. (2021). Sleep extension in athletes: What we know so far – A systematic review. Sleep Medicine, 77, 128–135.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2020.11.028
2. Mah, C. D., Mah, K. E., Kezirian, E. J., & Dement, W. C. (2011). The Effects of Sleep Extension on the Athletic Performance of Collegiate Basketball Players. Sleep, 34(7), 943–950. https://doi.org/10.5665/SLEEP.1132
3. Akazawa, N., Kobayashi, N., Nakamura, Y., Kumagai, H., Choi, Y., & Maeda, S. (2019). Effect of sleep efficiency on salivary metabolite profile and cognitive function during exercise in volleyball athletes. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 119(10), 2215–2223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04205-7
4. Swinbourne, R., Miller, J., Smart, D., Dulson, D., & Gill, N. (2018). The Effects of Sleep Extension on Sleep, Performance, Immunity and Physical Stress in Rugby Players. Sports, 6(2), 42. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports6020042
5. Craven, J., McCartney, D., Desbrow, B., Sabapathy, S., Bellinger, P., Roberts, L., & Irwin, C. (2022). Effects of Acute Sleep Loss on Physical Performance: A Systematic and Meta-Analytical Review. Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-022-01706-y
6. Pallesen, S., Gundersen, H. S., Kristoffersen, M., Bjorvatn, B., Thun, E., & Harris, A. (2017). The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Soccer Skills. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 124(4), 812–829. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031512517707412
7. Schwartz, J., & Simon, R. D. (2015). Sleep extension improves serving accuracy: A study with college varsity tennis players. Physiology & Behavior, 151, 541–544.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.08.035
8. Nishida, M., Chiba, T., Murata, Y., & Shioda, K. (2022). Effects of Sleep Restriction on Self-Reported Putting Performance in Golf. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 129(3), 833–850. https://doi.org/10.1177/00315125221087027
9. Mah, C., Anguera, J., Gazzaley, A., & Luke, A. (2017). SLEEP LOADING IMPROVES VISUAL SEARCH RESPONSE TIME AND REDUCES FATIGUE IN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYERS. Sleep, 40(suppl_1), A278–A278.https://doi.org/10.1093/sleepj/zsx050.748
10. Bolin, D. J. (2019). Sleep Deprivation and Its Contribution to Mood and Performance Deterioration in College Athletes: Current Sports Medicine Reports, 18(8), 305–310.https://doi.org/10.1249/JSR.0000000000000621