Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25315456›Full record

ReviewSports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2015

Sleep and athletic performance: the effects of sleep loss on exercise performance, and physiological and cognitive responses to exercise.

Hugh H K Fullagar, Sabrina Skorski, Rob Duffield, Daniel Hammes, Aaron J Coutts, Tim Meyer

Abstract readReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 324 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
324citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
12.5field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

324 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 818 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Sleep and cognition in Hispanic/Latin American adults: A systematic review.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026
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  7. Occupation-Induced Fatigue and Impacts on Emergency First Responders: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023
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  10. Pre-sleep milk-derived proteins do not impair sleep or recovery in elite female athletes.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2026
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264 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Hugh H K FullagarInstitute of Sport and Preventive Medicine, Saarland University, GEB. B82, 66123, Saarbrucken, Germany, hugh.fullagar@uni-saarland.de.
Sabrina Skorski
Rob Duffield
Daniel Hammes
Aaron J Coutts
Tim Meyer
Saarland University · DEUniversity of Technology Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Although its true function remains unclear, sleep is considered critical to human physiological and cognitive function. Equally, since sleep loss is a common occurrence prior to competition in athletes, this could significantly impact upon their athletic performance. Much of the previous research has reported that exercise performance is negatively affected following sleep loss; however, conflicting findings mean that the extent, influence, and mechanisms of sleep loss affecting exercise performance remain uncertain. For instance, research indicates some maximal physical efforts and gross motor performances can be maintained. In comparison, the few published studies investigating the effect of sleep loss on performance in athletes report a reduction in sport-specific performance. The effects of sleep loss on physiological responses to exercise also remain equivocal; however, it appears a reduction in sleep quality and quantity could result in an autonomic nervous system imbalance, simulating symptoms of the overtraining syndrome. Additionally, increases in pro-inflammatory cytokines following sleep loss could promote immune system dysfunction. Of further concern, numerous studies investigating the effects of sleep loss on cognitive function report slower and less accurate cognitive performance. Based on this context, this review aims to evaluate the importance and prevalence of sleep in athletes and summarises the effects of sleep loss (restriction and deprivation) on exercise performance, and physiological and cognitive responses to exercise. Given the equivocal understanding of sleep and athletic performance outcomes, further research and consideration is required to obtain a greater knowledge of the interaction between sleep and performance.

Indexed as

CognitionSleep DeprivationAffectAthletic PerformanceCompetitive BehaviorExerciseHumansSleep

Identifiers

PMID25315456
OpenAlexW2090303158

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.