Open Access
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci 2024; 17(S 01): S1-S89
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1811759
Sleep Science Supplement 2024

Psychological Responses to Acute Physical Exercise on Sleep-Deprived Individuals: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Autoren

  • Mateus Assis Benfica

    1   Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, BA, Brazil

  • Tamiles Costa Ribeiro

    1   Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, BA, Brazil

  • David Ohara

    2   Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia, Jequié, BA, Brazil

  • Eduardo da Silva Alves

    3   University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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Keywords

physical exercise - sleep deprivation - psychological responses

Introduction: Several factors influence adherence to exercise programs, including psychological responses. Sleep deprivation (SD), which is linked to mood disturbances, anxiety symptoms, and sleepiness, may influence this adherence. Although some narrative reviews have suggested that SD affects people's psychological responses to exercise, there is limited systematic evidence in the literature.

Objective: (1) To assess the effects of sleep deprivation compared to normal sleep on psychological responses to physical exercise, based on experimental studies; and (2) to investigate the effects of physical exercise, compared to inactive control interventions, on psychological responses in sleep-deprived individuals.

Methods: This systematic review followed the latest PRISMA guidelines and was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD 42024533993). According to predefined criteria, we searched five databases (Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus, and CINAHL), using terms related to “SD”, “physical exercise”, and “psychological responses”. The study selection process was performed in pairs in Covidence. We extracted relevant information from each manuscript. Meta-analysis used a standard mean difference (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI). A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Heterogeneity was calculated using the Q-test, resulting in an I-squared (I2).

Results: After the selection process, 7 experimental studies were included, with 79 participants (44.3% female; mean age = 28.3±8.1 years). Compared to normal sleep, SD worsened mood responses to exercise (k=4; SMD: 0.93 [95%CI: 0.42, 1.43]; p=0.003; I2=0%), but not sleepiness (k=4; SMD: 0.16 [95%CI: -0.31, 0.62]; p=0.508; I2=0%), or total wellness (k=2; SMD: -0.64 [95%CI: -1.35, 0.07]; p=0.096; I2=0%). Moreover, compared to non-active interventions, physical exercise decreased sleepiness after SD (k=2; SMD: -0.67 [95%CI: -1.34, -0.01]; p=0.048; I2=66.13%).

Conclusion: The SD group experienced greater mood disturbances following physical exercise, with no sleepiness and total wellness differences. Moreover, sleepiness was lower in the exercise group compared to non-active interventions after SD.


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Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
16. September 2025

© 2025. Brazilian Sleep Academy. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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