Stress Management in Athletes: Predictive Effects of Sleep Deprivation-Induced Cognitive Control Changes on Competition Performance

Effective stress management is crucial for optimal competition performance in athletes. Sleep deprivation (SD) can elevate physiological and psychological stress, and the SD-changed cognitive and emotion may reflect stress management capability and hold the predictive possibility for athletes’ performance in official competitions over some time, however it lacks evidence. Here, we aim to increase stress level for athletes by 24-hour SD and identify the predictive effects of cognitive and emotional changes after 24h-SD on sports performance in official competitions over around 1.5 months. Sixty-five winter sports athletes (35 males) were recruited from college (test set) and professional athletes (validation set) separately. The anxiety and cortisol levels were assessed at baseline, after 24h-SD, and official competition. Athletes underwent cognitive tasks (STROOP, Go/NoGo, Competitive Reaction Time Task, and Iowa Gambling Task) and the event-related potential (ERP) recording at baseline and after SD. Competition performance levels (supernormal, normal and abnormal) were categorized based on a consensus of subjective and objective evaluations. We found anxiety and cortisol levels following 24h-SD were equaled with those observed of official competition. Notably, only the decreased incongruent STROOP response after 24h-SD was negatively associated with performance in official competition. The corresponding P3 component, particularly the delta frequency at central lobe, largely mediated this effect. These findings highlight that the athletes effectively employ cognitive skills to manage stress under acute SD tend to exhibit superior performance. Significance Statement Predictive methods and biomarkers for athletic performance are currently lacking. Our study first confirmed that the changes in attention control after 24h-SD held unique predictive effects for athletes' competition performance over around 1.5 months, and the delta frequency of the P3 EEG component at the central lobe may contribute to it. This study emphasized that athletes can harness additional cognitive resources to enhance stress management, which could lower the risk of abnormal performance in official competitions. Cognitive predictors after SD can assist athletes and coaches in monitoring training state, enhancing stress management to optimize athletic performance, and adjusting athlete participation arrangements.