title: Sleep, circadian rhythms, and athletic performance.
abstract: Sleep deprivation and time of day are both known to influence performance. A growing body of research has focused on how sleep and circadian rhythms impact athletic performance. This review provides a systematic overview of this research. We searched three different databases for articles on these issues and inspected relevant reference lists. In all, 113 articles met our inclusion criteria. The most robust result is that athletic performance seems to be best in the evening around the time when the core body temperature typically is at its peak. Sleep deprivation was negatively associated with performance whereas sleep extension seems to improve performance. The effects of desynchronization of circadian rhythms depend on the local time at which performance occurs. The review includes a discussion of differences regarding types of skills involved as well as methodological issues.
authors: Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Norway. Electronic address: Eirunn.Thun@psysp.uib.no.
authors: Eirunn
authors: E
authors: Thun
authors: Norwegian Competence Center for Sleep Disorders, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway; Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Norway.
authors: Bjørn
authors: B
authors: Bjorvatn
authors: Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Norway.
authors: Elisabeth
authors: E
authors: Flo
authors: Department of Health Promotion and Development, University of Bergen, Norway.
authors: Anette
authors: A
authors: Harris
authors: Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Norway; Norwegian Competence Center for Sleep Disorders, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway.
authors: Ståle
authors: S
authors: Pallesen
mesh_terms: D015308:Anaerobic Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: Athletic; Chronotype; Circadian; Diurnal; Morningness; Performance; Sleep; Sports