Sleep quality and duration are associated with performance in maximal incremental test

Inadequate sleep patterns may be considered a trigger to development of several metabolic diseases. Additionally, sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality can negatively impact performance in exercise training. However, the impact of sleep duration and sleep quality on performance during incremental maximal test performed by healthy men is unclear. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to analyze the association between sleep pattern (duration and quality) and performance during maximal incremental test in healthy male individuals.

A total of 28 healthy males volunteered to take part in the study. Sleep quality, sleep duration and physical activity were subjectively assessed by questionnaires. Sleep pattern was classified by sleep duration (>7h or <7h of sleep per night) and sleep quality according to the sum of measured points and/or scores by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Incremental exercise test was performed at 35 watts for untrained subjects, 70 watts for physically active subjects and 105 watts for well-trained subjects.

HR_max was correlated with sleep quality (r=0.411, p=0.030) and sleep duration (r=-0.430, p=0.022). Participants reporting good sleep quality presented higher values of W_max, VO_2max and lower values of HR_max when compared to participants with altered sleep. Regarding sleep duration, only W_max was influenced by the amount of sleeping hours per night and this association remained significant even after adjustment by VO_2max.

Sleep duration and quality are associated, at least in part, with performance during maximal incremental test among healthy men, with losses in W_max and HR_max. In addition, our results suggest that the relationship between sleep patterns and performance, mainly in W_max, is independent of fitness condition.