Morning exercise improves cognitive performance decrements induced by partial sleep deprivation in elite athletes

Purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the effects of morning exercise on cognitive performance followed by Partial Sleep Deprivation (PSD) in elite women volleyball players. Methods: 21 elite women volleyball players (age: 23.6. +/- 2.9 years old; BMI: 19.1. +/- 1.8) were investigated twice in a balanced, randomized design in two conditions of PSD and exercise in the morning following PSD (PSDE). The subjects were asked to fill the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) prior to the beginning of the study. The cognitive performance was measured using computerized neurocognitive tests of Vienna system test consisting of movement detection time (MDT); visual pursuit test (VPT); and cognitrone test (COG). Data was analyzed using Paired student's t-test. Results: The results suggested that reaction time (RT) (p = 0.004); median cognitive reaction (MCR) (p = 0.001); Median Motor Time (MMT) (p = 0.01) were impaired significantly in PSD condition compared to the PSDE. Furthermore, both processing speed (number of correct Responses and rejection) and selective attention (mean time for correct responses and rejections) (p = 0.001) were not changed significantly in PSDE in (p >= 0.05). However, PSD impaired the cognitive performance of elite women players. Conclusions: The findings indicate that the beneficial cognitive effects of low-intensity exercise may overcome the fatiguing effects derived from the partial sleep deprivation in the cognitive functioning of elite female volleyball players.