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.
Mesas AE, Núñez de Arenas-Arroyo S, Martinez-Vizcaino V, Garrido-Miguel M, Fernández-Rodríguez R, Bizzozero-Peroni B, Torres-Costoso AI. Br J Sports Med. 2023 Apr;57(7):417-426. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2022-106355. Epub 2023 Jan 23. PMID: 36690376.
Take-Home Message
Napping between 30 and 60 minutes improves cognitive and physical performance and reduces perceived fatigue.
Background
Adequate sleep is necessary for optimal sports performance. Napping after a night of normal sleep or with partial sleep deprivation can improve physical and cognitive sports performance. A meta-analysis of clinical trials testing the benefits of napping may help us understand how much napping helps and how to optimize a nap.
Study Goal
The researchers completed a systematic review and meta-analysis to understand daytime napping affects cognitive and physical performance and the perception of fatigue. They also considered the effects of nap duration and timing before sports activity.
Methods
Researchers performed a comprehensive literature search for clinical trials with(1) participants 18 years of age or older, (2) napping or daytime sleep as an intervention, (3) a non-napping comparison, and (4) an outcome of either cognitive or physical performance, or perception of fatigue. Two researchers evaluated the quality of the included studies using the Cochrane Collaboration tool for assessing the risk of bias. Data from each study were extracted and analyzed.
Results
The authors analyzed 22 clinical trials. The sample size of included studies ranged from 7 to 20 participants, totaling 291 male participants across all studies. Cognitive performance was primarily measured with digital cancellation or reaction time. Physical performance was measured primarily by a 5-minute run test, and fatigue was primarily measured by the rate of perceived exertion test.
Napping improved cognitive and physical performance and reduced the perception of fatigue. The most effective napping duration ranged from 30 and <60 minutes and occurred more than 60 minutes before a sports activity. These results were true after a night of normal sleep or partial sleep deprivation.
Viewpoints
Overall, this study supports that napping benefits cognition and sports performance. Napping also decreases one’s perception of fatigue. Surprisingly, all of the participants were young men. Hence, whether these results apply to other genders and older adults is unclear. This study also doesn’t address if a nap helps when someone is significantly sleep deprived.
Clinical Implications
Clinicians should know that napping 30 to 60 minutes at least an hour before an activity may improve performance if the person had a night of normal sleep or partial sleep deprivation.
Questions for Discussion
Have you advocated for napping in your current clinical practice? What strategies have you found particularly helpful in implementing napping?
Written by Kyle Harris
Reviewed by Jeffrey Driban
Related Posts
A Few More Hours of Sleep May Help Your Athletes’ Baseline Scores
Wake Up Call for Collegiate Athlete Sleep: Narrative Review and Consensus Recommendations from the NCAA Interassociation Task Force on Sleep and Wellness
A Good Night’s Sleep Could Go A Long Way with Neurocognitive Performance
Are Our Athletes Getting Enough Sleep? Their Brains Don’t Think So!
My name is Maggie McMullan and I’m a second year master’s of athletic training student at James Madison University. In my time observing and working under a preceptor in a D1 collegiate clinical setting I’ve noticed the vast majority of athletes I’ve worked with incorporate napping into their daily schedule. Working with rowing and swim and dive where the first two sports where I heard their athletic trainer actively advocating and providing advice on taking naps throughout their day. Both sports had two a days 5 days a week, with their first session starting as early as 5:30 in the morning and their second session ending as late as 6:30 at night. With both training session lasting 2 hours a piece, a full academic schedule, and many of them seeking treatment multiple times a week they were rarely about to get to bed early enough to get adequate sleep. The upperclassmen had a handle on working in a 1-2 hour nap into their day, but we often had to talk with lowerclassmen who were having issues staying awake during classes and recovering from training sessions. Through some trial and error we were able to determine that nap was very necessary for these athletes to come closer to reach the total amount of sleep they needed daily, and for them to have a restart following their morning training. We found that the most effective naps were taken either directly following morning training after they’d gotten in a good meal, or after lunch before they came in for treatment or went to class before their second training session. Most took naps that were longer than the optimal window recommended in this review but still reaped benefits in their ability to complete their daily academic and athletic activities. I’d be interested to see if they would’ve reaped more benefits by cutting back their nap length and dispersing 2 throughout their day, or if one shorter one would’ve caused the same results.
Hello, my name is Alexa Rasnake, and I am an Athletic Training Master’s Student at JMU. In my clinical experience as a student, I have always advocated for taking a nap when an athlete comes up to me stating they are “fatigued” or “felt their performance was low during their practices or games even after getting a good night’s sleep.” The reason I advocate for naps is because as a previous athlete, I found myself in the same situation as my athletes. I eventually grew tired of feeling this way and decided that I was going to try napping during the day before practice or a game to see if it would help. Contrary to what my parents and many others’ belief that it would hinder my performance and increase my fatigue, I received the same positive benefits that this study found in their results after napping for approximately 30 – 60 mins prior to practice or a game. I woke up feeling more alert cognitively and physically ready to go to practice. I also felt as though I performed better and was less fatigued during and after my practice or game, as compared to when I didn’t take a nap. Therefore, I will always advocate for napping in my clinical practice, as I know from my own experience the benefits that it provides, and that there are many reliable articles, such as this one, defending the positive effects of napping on performance.
The main strategy that I have found particularly helpful in implementing napping for an athlete is determining when the perfect time is to nap within a busy schedule. As defined in the article and based off my experience, a 30 – 60 min nap with a minimum of 60 mins between the nap and practice/game is the optimal parameters to receive the most benefits from taking a nap. So, sitting down with an athlete and finding the times for them to nap within these specific parameters is an easy way to ensure they are getting the most benefits in taking a nap when they have a busy schedule. I have also found that tracking hours slept through an app on a phone is beneficial for implementing napping. Tracking the amount of sleep received in a night can help the athlete see if they if actually need to take a nap, as some nights they will receive more than enough sleep to where taking a nap might inhibit their performance. If they don’t need to take a nap based on how they slept the night before then that will save them time during the day that they can use for something else in their busy schedule as a student athlete.
I have not currently advocated for napping in the clinical setting but if it were to become a topic of conversation I would advocate for it. When implementing napping I have found most success when looking at my schedule for the day seeking open times to fit a 30 minute nap in. I also find napping to be easier when my current to-do list is completed or mostly completed so I do not have tasks only mind, allowing me to take a nap and fully rest without worrying about what is next.
As a current Master of Athletic Training Student at JMU I can’t claim to have put a ton (any) of effort into advocating for Naps among the athletes that I am involved with, nor can I claim to be a huge practitioner of naps myself. However, I think that the conclusions made in this article are interesting in that they go against what I had been taking as common knowledge regarding napping. I had been under the impression that shorter naps (8-20 mins) were desirable when compared to longer (30-60 min) naps, and that napping for that long might even result in NEGATIVE effects on physical/cognitive performance & perceived fatigue. It was enlightening to me that the results of this study show the 30-60 min timeframe to have greater benefits! Another thing that I found to be interesting/something I could directly relate to the athletes I work with was the effect of a short “wash-out” time on perception of drowsiness. Many Athletes will Nap on away-game bus rides, or in the locker room prior to practice and then proceed to compete in their sport within an hour of waking up. I can only imagine the negative effect that playing during this washed-out period had on their sport performance. I am unfamiliar with the literature but is it recommended for adults/athletes to apply this 1-hour sleep-inertia period even after waking up in the morning? How does this apply to those of us who compete/practice/workout directly after getting out of bed?
Hi, my name is Cassidy Fox and I am a second year masters of athletic training student at James Madison University. On my first day of the program last year, the head of our college told us “If you’re ever stuck choosing between studying or going to bed, always go to bed.” I have been a firm believer in this motto ever since – performance when tired will be no good anyway! Because of this realization, I now encourage my athletes to take naps and prioritize rest. The main strategy I have found to be helpful in encouraging napping is giving the athletes tips on time management or helping them make a weekly schedule. With this, I either give them tips on ways to stay organized such as note programs on their computers or written to-do lists in planners or I have them bring everything they need to do to me, and we break down a schedule around their practice and training schedules – keeping an emphasis on time for naps and/or a specific bedtime. It has also helped me to explain to them how much their performance will improve if they are properly rested, both on the field and in the classroom. Most times, athletes feel they can’t nap because they don’t have enough time for everything else they have to do but with proper time management, naps can be done!
Hi my name is Kevin Pham and I am a second year athletic training student in the JMU MSAT program. My previous rotation was with JMU football and at my time here I really noticed how important sleep is. During my time there, practices and lifts started at 6am and treatments started at 5am. Whenever I saw my athletes in the morning they seem super tired and out of it. They always complain to me as well on how they have to come in so early and end their day so late. With the knowledge I got from this post I can now suggest for my athletes to take a 30 minute nap sometime throughout the day to help them focus better in their afternoon activities, whether that’s class or another practice. I can also see this helping myself as I had to do the same, getting up early and then having to go to class as well. I have tried taking naps in the past and it kind of just made me more tired and lazy but I thinks its because I was napping for more than hour. I definitely have to try this and integrate it into my schedule sometime.
Hello,
My name is Reagan Sellers and I am a second year masters of athletic training student at James Madison University. Napping is something that I personally have incorporated into my schedule whenever I can. I believe that my performance as a student and also just as an individual will never be as great as it can be if I am tired. I do not see why we expect for it to be any different for student-athletes! Student athletes are constantly on the go with practices, weight lifting sessions, games, travel, and classes on top of all of that. I think that when napping is talked about, most people think that you have to nap for over an hour and that is why so many are against it. In all reality, a 30-60 minute nap like this article stated is all that one needs in order to have an increase in academic and athletic performance. I believe that with proper time management, student-athletes can incorporate time for naps and still be able to check off everything they need to do during the day. In clinical settings I have seen encouragement for adequate sleep and rest, but not napping specifically. As a clinician in the future this is something that I want to encourage, and I will be able to refer back to this article.
Hi, my name is Jonathan Joia and I am a 2nd year student in James Madison University’s Masters of Athletic Training Program. I believe that sleep quality and amount directly correlates to not just sports performance but performance in general. Athletes are constantly busy with classes, practice, studying, games, and treatment/rehabs, so giving advice to find time to nap can sound like near impossible to them. I never thought about how napping could affect performance in addition to sleeping overnight which was a cool concept to me. Even with my schedule I feel like it would be hard to find time to nap, but for performance benefits and less perceptions of fatigue for athletes it might be worth it to add into their routine. I found that having a written out schedule will help visualize the athletes day and allow them to manage their time more efficiently, allowing for them to find times to nap in their schedule. What are some ways you found to be helpful?
My name is Hannah Shouse and I am a second year MSAT student. I found this article very interesting and informative. While I don’t think I’ve had a huge opportunity to advocate clinically for naps, I have definitely advocated for them in my personal life. After seeing the research, I will definitely advocate for them even more both personally and professionally! Somewhere in my life I was given information that left me under the impression that shorter naps were preferred/more effective and that the “best” nap length was 20-25 minutes. This article disagrees with that and advocates more for 30-60 minutes, which I love, and now gives me the proper information to inform people that hour long naps aren’t “lazy”, they’re helpful! I definitely think that the idea of sleep inertia needs to be addressed, as people often believe that naps can leave them more tired and therefor being ineffective, but if you give yourself the proper amount of time, its amazing the benefits that naps can have for you.
Hello! My name is Annie Tynes and I am a second-year Athletic Training Master’s student at James Madison University. I feel like I advocate napping for athletes before a game or practice even after a good night’s rest. As a previous collegiate athlete myself, I took naps very frequently. I found that napping helped me because having to time manage not only the exhaustion of playing a competitive sport including late-night games, traveling, and long practices but also being involved with a team lift session, keeping up with grades in college, all while having a social battery or spending time with friends, can be very fatiguing. However, because of being tired often, I found myself sometimes taking naps for around 2 hours instead of consistently napping the preferred amount of 30-60mins. When I would sleep longer than 1 hour, I would wake up more tired, less motivated to get out of bed, and most interestingly, my performance would be noticeably worse. With napping 30-60 minutes, I would support this article by agreeing that my motivation was elevated, my energy increased, and my physical performance improved. In my experience, collegiate athletes are often sleep deprived and don’t think that sleep can actually affect how one performs, not only on the court/field but also academically. I have been involved with two clinical placements so far and surprisingly, my preceptors have not discussed the importance of sleep for collegiate nor high school athlete’s. Although, my professors in our master’s program have done a great job emphasizing the importance of sleep. When I become a certified athletic trainer, I will promote the importance of sleep to my patients and express the benefits of cognitive function and sports performance.
Hello my name is Emma Stanton and I am a Masters of Athletic Training student at James Madison University. I have never been one to take naps but I can definitely see how they would be beneficial. Sleep is such an important part of ones day because it is when the body stores new information from the day, gets rid of toxic waste and the body repairs cells and restores energy. I could see how a nap would be beneficial if an individual had poor sleep the night before because I find it hard to focus when I am tired. Now that I know performance and cognitive function can increase with just a nap I will definitely start to utilize and promote them. I think most athletes want to have as much of an edge as they can on their competition and if they can do something as easy as napping to have an upper hand over then it is something I would definitely recommend. Athletes are usually pretty busy but thirty minutes isn’t that long of a time so it is something that will be easy to incorporate. I have had one of my preceptors talk about the importance of quality rest and how important it is to let your body recover, but I have not had any preceptor promote napping. I think many athletes would be happy to hear to that they can nap for just 30 minutes and they can improve their performance.