The common conception about athletic performance is that it’s a result of physical performance. While this is partly true, maintaining high quality athletic performance is a combination of physical and cognitive performance/health. Athletics requires high levels of both physical and mental energy through movement and a very high degree of focus/concentration.

Sleep is one of the most, if not the most, critical component in maintaining cognitive and physical performance for athletes. There is a plethora of information about:

• The relationship between physical performance and sleep
• The relationship between cognitive performance sleep
• How much sleep can improve athletic performance

Let’s look at each area in more detail.

Physical Performance and Sleep

Not surprisingly, physical performance suffers with a lack of sleep. For example, a study of 12 fit males and Take cycling endurance [Med Sci Sports Excerc. 2013 Jun 10] had subjects perform a baseline fitness test for before depriving them on night two of sleep. Each day, cyclicists performed 40 minutes of high intensity cycling to test exhaustion. When cyclists received adequate sleep, the average time to exhaustion was 20.6. minutes. When patients were sleep deprived, the average time to exhaustion was 20% shorter at 18.9 minutes. 

Sleep deprivation is not only poor for physical performance, it’s bad for health. Getting sick, struggling to maintain health fitness, or dealing with chronic fatigue are all consequences of sleep deprivation and negatively impact athletic performance. 

Other physical consequences of sleep deprivation are: 

• Strong link of sleep deprivation to weight gain
• Sleep deprivation linked to increased inflammation [source]
• Sleep improves your immune function - in one study, people who received less than 7 hours of sleep were three times more likely to develop a cold than those with 8 hours or more of sleep.

Cognitive Performance and Sleep

Cognitive performance is critical for athletes to maintain focus during sports. Playing sports while sleep deprived is almost the equivalent to playing drunk. A study showed that:

17-19 hours without sleep performance on tests are equivalent or worse than that of .05% of alcohol with 50% slower response speeds on tests.

At more than 19 hours without sleep, performance levels decrease to 0.1% alcohol and higher with the cognitive performances similar to intoxication.

These cognitive deficits can significantly alter one’s ability to do focus tasks like:

• Hit a baseball
• Shoot into a basket
• Throw a football to an open receiver
• React in any play, regardless of the sport
• Stop a goal

Physical/Athletic Performance and Sleep

The following study outlines the benefits of sleeping well and sports performance: The effects of sleep extension on the athletic performance of collegiate basketball players.

In the study, college basketball plays followed their regular sleep schedule for 2-4 weeks to establish baseline performance, and then followed a 5-7 week sleep extension period that involved a minimum goal of 10 hours in bed each night. It’s important to note here that this study did not focus on sleep deprivation, but rather on getting extra sleep. 

In nearly all categories, basketball players averaged a 10% improvement in performance. This study simply shows what getting adequate amounts of sleep can do for athletic performance. Sleep deprivation affects physical activities in terms of:

• Endurance
• Energy
• Focus
• Reaction time
• Recovery periods

As a coach, stressing the importance of sleep may be the difference in every close game. As a player, sleep might be the difference between making the team, winning a starting spot, making clutch plays, or being a start athlete.

Sleeping Disorders Impact Athletic Performance

Unfortunately, sleep disorders can make it impossible to get good sleep and they don’t discriminate between ages. People of all ages can develop sleeping disorders. So whether you are a high school, college, or adult playing sports, ensure that your sleep isn’t hampered by a sleeping disorder such as:

• Sleep apnea
• Insomnia
• Restless leg syndrome
• Circadian rhythm disorders
• Parasomnias

If you are concerned that you may have a sleeping disorder, please click the orange button to take a free online test and talk with one of our sleep health professionals.