The Effect of Yoga Exercise on Selective Attention of Collegiate Athletes Following Short-Term Sleep Deprivation

Objectives: As negative consequences of sleep disturbances on cognitive performance in all age groups are well documented the study was aimed at identifying the effect of Yoga practices on selective attention of collegiate athletes following short-term sleep deprivation. Methods: Nineteen collegiate athletes were recruited in a cross-over design in two phases. In the control condition, their attention was measured after short-term sleep deprivation (6 hours), then, they were given Yoga exercises within a one week washout phase. The posttest was performed following a one week Yoga intervention (experimental condition). The quality of sleep was measured by Actiwatch Sleep Analysis in the washout phase (a 7-day period), and the total score was obtained based on their performance in the last three days. The subjects wore an Actiwatch-7 on their non-dominant wrist for seven consecutive days. In the experimental condition, they attended exercise physiology and were tested. Dependent t-tests was used to analyze the data. Results: The results indicated that Yoga protocol improved both subtests of selective attention significantly, including the mean time for correct responses (t = 4.98; P = 0.001) and the mean time for correct rejections (t = 3.73; P = 0.001). Furthermore, the total score of sleep quality within the last three days of the washout phase improved significantly in the Yoga condition (t = 2.68; P = 0.01). Conclusions: As known, sleep deprivation could result in poor psychomotor performance; hence, the Yoga exercise would attenuate the devastating consequences of sleep disorder in tasks needing decisions in individuals with such a problem. The results suggest that performing a Yoga exercise may play a major role in improving psychomotor performance in collegiate athletes who are vulnerable for sleep disturbances.