The Effect of Sleep Deprivation on Choice Reaction Time and Anaerobic Power of College Student Athletes

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of one night’s sleep deprivation on anaerobic performance and Reaction time of subjects in the morning of the following day.Methods: Eighteen male college student athletes were studied twice in a balanced, randomized design. Subjects were measured for peak power, mean power and Reaction time.Results: The performance showed no significant difference in both tests of anaerobic power (peak power, mean power) over the sleep deprivation period (P= 0.3; P= 0.4 respectively), but reaction time differed signi cantly from baseline (P=0.003). Results support the hypothesis that sleep serves a function of cognitive restitution, particularly in the maintenance of attentional mechanisms. In the light of the above considerations.Conclusions: It was concluded that short-term sleep deprivation is not effective on anaerobic performance, but adversely affects cognitive function such as Reaction Time.