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Strategic Daytime Napping Enhances Agility and Lowers Perceived Exertion

NCT07264777 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 16

Last updated 2025-12-04

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This study investigates how short daytime naps affect physical performance and perceived exertion in competitive male soccer players. Using a repeated-measures crossover design, sixteen athletes from the U17 and U19 teams of Yeni Malatyaspor completed three experimental sessions separated by 48 hours. Each session involved one of three conditions: no nap (N0), a 25-minute nap (N25), or a 45-minute nap (N45). Participants' agility, repeated-sprint ability, and exertion levels were tested after each condition. Objective sleep data were collected with Fitbit Charge 6 devices, and subjective measures included the Hooper Index, Profile of Mood States, and sleep quality scales.

The study aimed to determine whether strategic napping could acutely improve agility and reduce fatigue during anaerobic performance tasks in soccer players. It was hypothesized that longer naps would enhance agility and lower perceived exertion but would not significantly affect repeated-sprint performance.

Conditions

  • Healthy Participants

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Strategic Napping Protocol

This behavioral intervention examines the acute effects of short daytime naps on anaerobic performance and perceived exertion in competitive male soccer players. Each participant completed three nap conditions in a randomized crossover design: No Nap (N0): Participants remained awake in a quiet, dimly lit room during the nap opportunity. 25-Minute Nap (N25): Participants took a 25-minute nap opportunity at 14:00 in a dark, quiet, temperature-controlled room (\~22°C). 45-Minute Nap (N45): Participants took a 45-minute nap opportunity under the same environmental conditions. Sleep onset, duration, and wake time were objectively verified using Fitbit Charge 6 actigraphy. To minimize sleep inertia, all performance testing-including the Pro Agility Test, Repeated-Sprint Ability (RSA) Test, and Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)-was conducted 60 minutes after awakening.

BEHAVIORAL

No Nap Condition (N0)

Participants remained awake during the designated nap period in a quiet, dimly lit environment. No sleep was permitted. Following a 60-minute rest period, participants completed the Pro Agility Test and Repeated-Sprint Ability (RSA) Test. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were collected after each sprint to assess subjective effort.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Inonu University

    collaborator OTHER

  • Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
16 Years
Max Age
19 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-01-25
Primary Completion
2025-08-25
Completion
2025-09-01

Countries

  • Turkey (Türkiye)

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07264777 on ClinicalTrials.gov