ReviewSports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2015
Stress, Sleep and Recovery in Elite Soccer: A Critical Review of the Literature.
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 112 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
112 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 271 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Caffeinated Brain Part 2: The Effect of Caffeine on Sleep-Related Electroencephalography (EEG)-A Systematic and Mechanistic Review.Nutrients · 2026Pooled it
- The Effects of Melatonin Supplementation on Professional Football Player Performance: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2023Pooled it
- The Impact of Sleep Interventions on Athletic Performance: A Systematic Review.Sports medicine - open · 2023Pooled it
- Acute and Residual Soccer Match-Related Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2018Pooled it
- Training Load and Fatigue Marker Associations with Injury and Illness: A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2017Pooled it
- Steroid hormones and psychological responses to soccer matches: Insights from a systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2017Pooled it
- Acute caffeine supplementation offsets the impairment in 10-km running performance following one night of partial sleep deprivation: a randomized controlled crossover trial.European journal of applied physiology · 2025Trial
- Magnetic Garments Promote Parasympathetic Dominance and Improve Sleep Quality in Male Long-Distance Runners Following a 30 km Run.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Trial
- Post-Lunch Napping as a Strategy to Enhance Physiological Performance and Cognitive Function in Elite Volleyball Players.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Trial
- Daytime Napping Benefits Passing Performance and Scanning Activity in Elite Soccer Players.Journal of sports science & medicine · 2023Trial
- The Effect of Autogenic Training in a Form of Audio Recording on Sleep Quality and Physiological Stress Reactions of University Athletes-Pilot Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Relationship between Perceived Training Load, Well-Being Indices, Recovery State and Physical Enjoyment during Judo-Specific Training.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Trial
- Impact of Caffeine Intake on 800-m Running Performance and Sleep Quality in Trained Runners.Nutrients · 2019Trial
- Partial-body cryostimulation after training improves sleep quality in professional soccer players.BMC research notes · 2019Trial
- Association of sleep efficiency with cardiac autonomic modulation in young and professional soccer players during pre-season.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2026Article
- Implementation of Sleep-Enhancing Strategies During Tapering in Elite Swimmers.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Repeated Continuous Theta-Burst Stimulation Modulates Resting-State EEG Microstate Dynamics in Athletes with Chronic Insomnia.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Uncovering Sleep Behaviour in Women's Football: What Evidence Do We Have?Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Review
- Cognitive-Motor Dual-Task Training (CMDT) Approaches for Performance, Recovery, Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Return to Sport in Soccer: A Narrative Review with Practical Recommendations for Soccer Clubs.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026Review
- Sleep Hygiene Improves Aerobic and Anaerobic Performance Independent of Cortisol Mediation in Female Collegiate Soccer Players.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026Article
52 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
In elite soccer, players are frequently exposed to various situations and conditions that can interfere with sleep, potentially leading to sleep deprivation. This article provides a comprehensive and critical review of the current available literature regarding the potential acute and chronic stressors (i.e., psychological, sociological and physiological stressors) placed on elite soccer players that may result in compromised sleep quantity and/or quality. Sleep is an essential part of the recovery process as it provides a number of important psychological and physiological functions. The effects of sleep disturbance on post-soccer match fatigue mechanisms and recovery time course are also described. Physiological and cognitive changes that occur when competing at night are often not conducive to sleep induction. Although the influence of high-intensity exercise performed during the night on subsequent sleep is still debated, environmental conditions (e.g., bright light in the stadium, light emanated from the screens) and behaviours related to evening soccer matches (e.g., napping, caffeine consumption, alcohol consumption) as well as engagement and arousal induced by the match may all potentially affect subsequent sleep. Apart from night soccer matches, soccer players are subjected to inconsistency in match schedules, unique team schedules and travel fatigue that may also contribute to the sleep debt. Sleep deprivation may be detrimental to the outcome of the recovery process after a match, resulting in impaired muscle glycogen repletion, impaired muscle damage repair, alterations in cognitive function and an increase in mental fatigue. The role of sleep in recovery is a complex issue, reinforcing the need for future research to estimate the quantitative and qualitative importance of sleep and to identify influencing factors. Efficient and individualised solutions are likely needed.
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Registered trials
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.