Benefits of Daytime Napping Opportunity on Physical and Cognitive Performances in Physically Active Participants: A Systematic Review
- PMID: 34043185
- DOI: 10.1007/s40279-021-01482-1
Benefits of Daytime Napping Opportunity on Physical and Cognitive Performances in Physically Active Participants: A Systematic Review
Abstract
Background: Evidence suggests that athletes often experience chronic sleep disturbance. Napping is widely recommended as a safe and non-invasive intervention to counteract the negative effects of partial sleep deprivation. However, systematic reviews on the benefits of napping have yet to be undertaken.
Objective: (i) To evaluate the effectiveness of diurnal napping opportunities on athletes' physical and cognitive performance and (ii) to outline how aspects of the study design (i.e., nap duration, exercise protocol, participants' fitness level and previous sleep quantity) can influence the potential effects of napping through a systematic appraisal of the literature.
Methods: This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed, Web of Science and SCOPUS databases were searched up to June 2020 for relevant studies investigating the effect of napping on physical and cognitive performances in physically active participants. Fourteen strong-quality and four moderate-quality (mean QualSyst score = 75.75 ± 5.7%) studies met our inclusion criteria and were included in the final sample (total participants: 158 physically active and 168 athletes).
Results: Most studies (n = 15) confirmed the beneficial effects of napping and showed that diurnal napping improved short-term physical performance (n = 10), endurance performance (n = 3) and specific skills performance (n = 2). Two studies showed no significant napping effect and only one study showed reduced sprint performance following diurnal napping. Moreover, napping improved reaction time (n = 3), attention (n = 2) and short-term memory (n = 1) performances. Importantly, "replacement naps" improved both physical and cognitive performance regardless of the type of exercise. However, "prophylactic naps" improved only jump, strength, running repeated-sprint, attention and reaction time performances. In addition, this systematic review revealed that longer nap opportunities (i.e., 90 min) resulted in better improvement of physical and cognitive performance and lower induced fatigue.
Conclusions: A diurnal nap seems to be an advantageous intervention to enhance recovery process and counteract the negative effect of partial sleep deprivation on physical and cognitive performance. Particularly, to optimize physical performances of athletes experiencing chronic lack of sleep, findings from the included individual studies suggest 90 min as the optimal nap duration. Diurnal napping may be beneficial for athletes but this benefit should be viewed with caution due to the quality of the evidence, risk of bias and the limited evidence about napping interventions.
© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
Similar articles
-
The Impact of Daytime Napping Following Normal Night-Time Sleep on Physical Performance: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis and Meta-regression.Sports Med. 2024 Feb;54(2):323-345. doi: 10.1007/s40279-023-01920-2. Epub 2023 Sep 12. Sports Med. 2024. PMID: 37700141 Free PMC article.
-
Is daytime napping an effective strategy to improve sport-related cognitive and physical performance and reduce fatigue? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.Br J Sports Med. 2023 Apr;57(7):417-426. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2022-106355. Epub 2023 Jan 23. Br J Sports Med. 2023. PMID: 36690376
-
Effects of Napping on Alertness, Cognitive, and Physical Outcomes of Karate Athletes.Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2019 Feb;51(2):338-345. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001786. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2019. PMID: 30239491 Clinical Trial.
-
The impact of daytime napping on athletic performance - A narrative review.Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2021 Dec;31(12):2164-2177. doi: 10.1111/sms.14060. Epub 2021 Oct 4. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2021. PMID: 34559915 Review.
-
To Nap or Not to Nap? A Systematic Review Evaluating Napping Behavior in Athletes and the Impact on Various Measures of Athletic Performance.Nat Sci Sleep. 2021 Jun 24;13:841-862. doi: 10.2147/NSS.S315556. eCollection 2021. Nat Sci Sleep. 2021. PMID: 34194254 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
Daytime napping and the risk of gastric cancer: the JACC Study.Cancer Causes Control. 2024 Jul;35(7):1011-1016. doi: 10.1007/s10552-024-01858-4. Epub 2024 Mar 18. Cancer Causes Control. 2024. PMID: 38498221
-
Association between Low Energy Availability (LEA) and Impaired Sleep Quality in Young Rugby Players.Nutrients. 2024 Feb 23;16(5):609. doi: 10.3390/nu16050609. Nutrients. 2024. PMID: 38474738 Free PMC article.
-
The impact of strategic napping on peak expiratory flow and respiratory function in young elite athletes.BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2024 Feb 9;16(1):41. doi: 10.1186/s13102-024-00842-4. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2024. PMID: 38336766 Free PMC article.
-
The Impact of Daytime Napping Following Normal Night-Time Sleep on Physical Performance: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis and Meta-regression.Sports Med. 2024 Feb;54(2):323-345. doi: 10.1007/s40279-023-01920-2. Epub 2023 Sep 12. Sports Med. 2024. PMID: 37700141 Free PMC article.
-
The Effects of Napping on Wakefulness and Endurance Performance in Athletes: A Randomized Crossover Study.Life (Basel). 2023 Jun 19;13(6):1414. doi: 10.3390/life13061414. Life (Basel). 2023. PMID: 37374196 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Hirshkowitz M, Whiton K, Albert SM, Alessi C, Bruni O, DonCarlos L, et al. National Sleep Foundation’s updated sleep duration recommendations: Final report. Sleep Health. Elsevier Inc; 2015;1:233–43.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Research Materials
Miscellaneous