The effects of 40-, 60- and 90-minute nap durations on physical and physiological performance after sleep deprivation: A experimental study on male university soccer players

This study investigates the effects of various nap durations (40, 60, and 90 min) on physical and physiological performance in response to sleep deprivation in competitive soccer players. 16 male soccer players were tested in a counterbalanced experimental design with four experimental visits containing the following conditions: three nap conditions (40-, 60-, and 90 min naps) and a no-nap control. All participants were subjected to partial sleep deprivation with less than 5 h of sleep before each experimental session. Physical performance was assessed through the countermovement jump (CMJ) and 20m repeated sprint ability (RSA) tests. Physiological measures were maximal heart rate (HRmax), venous lactate concentration (Lac) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and were measured before and after the nap. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA uncovered significant interactions between nap condition and time in all physical and physiological measures ( p < 0.05). Findings revealed that 90 min nap condition elicited the most significant improvement with higher CMJ scores, faster RSA performance (TST, MST, BST) and decreased HRmax, Lac, and RPE parameters ( p < 0.001) compared to the control and shorter nap duration conditions. These results imply that a 90 min nap is most beneficial to soccer players' physical and physiological performance following sleep deprivation.