The Impact of Cognitive Fatigue and Sleep Quality on Reaction Time in Athletes

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between cognitive fatigue, sleep quality, and reaction time in athletes and to determine the predictive value of cognitive fatigue and sleep quality on reaction time performance. The study employed a correlational descriptive design with a sample of 385 Canadian athletes, selected based on Morgan and Krejcie's sample size guidelines. Data were collected using the Deary-Liewald Reaction Time Task for reaction time, the Cognitive Fatigue Scale for cognitive fatigue, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index for sleep quality. Pearson correlation analyses were conducted to assess the relationships between reaction time and each independent variable, and multiple linear regression was used to examine the combined predictive power of cognitive fatigue and sleep quality on reaction time. All analyses were performed using SPSS version 27, with a significance threshold set at p < 0.05. The results demonstrated that cognitive fatigue was positively correlated with reaction time (r = .41, p < 0.01) and sleep quality was also positively correlated with reaction time (r = .37, p < 0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that cognitive fatigue and sleep quality together significantly predicted reaction time (R = .46, R² = .21, F(2, 382) = 49.38, p < 0.001). Both cognitive fatigue (B = 2.38, p < 0.001) and sleep quality (B = 4.61, p < 0.001) were significant independent predictors of reaction time. The findings highlight that both increased cognitive fatigue and poorer sleep quality are associated with slower reaction times in athletes. These results underscore the importance of managing both mental fatigue and sleep health to optimize cognitive-motor performance in athletic settings.