SynthesisFrontiers in physiology2026
The effect of daytime napping on the athletic performance of team ball sports athletes: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in physiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the effects of daytime napping on athletic performance across multiple domains in team ball sports athletes. Five electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and SPORTDiscus) were systematically searched from their inception to December 18, 2025, to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the association between daytime napping and objective performance measures compared with a no-nap control condition. Twelve trials encompassing 179 team ball sports athletes met the inclusion criteria. Nap interventions were consistently scheduled in the early afternoon (13:00-15:30), most frequently commencing at 14:00. Following presumed normal nocturnal sleep, napping demonstrated a large positive effect on endurance performance (SMD = 0.96, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.29, p < 0.001) and a moderate improvement in agility (SMD = 0.55, 95% CI 0.01 to 1.09, p = 0.048). A moderate positive trend was also observed for power and strength (SMD = 0.50, 95% CI -0.09 to 1.09), although the 95% confidence intervals crossed zero. Subgroup analyses revealed that the magnitude of these effects was modulated by nap duration, with longer naps (>60 min) yielding the largest improvements in endurance (SMD = 1.38) and power (SMD = 0.84), while moderate naps (31-60 min) similarly conferred substantial benefits. These findings suggest that strategic napping, particularly moderate and long durations, should be considered for integration into training and competition routines for athletes achieving presumed normal nocturnal sleep. However, effects on cognitive and technical performance remain uncertain due to evidence imprecision. Strategic napping protocols should be tailored to specific sport performance demands to optimize physiological recovery and readiness. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD420251268837, identifier CRD420251268837.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.