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How to Combat Lack of Sleep to Save Performance

Although high-quality sleep has long been linked to better athletic performance, that can be more of an ideal than a reality for many runners.

You can still struggle with adequate sleep even when you do everything “right,” like establish beneficial bedtime habits, make your bedroom as sleep-friendly as possible, and avoid food and drink (like alcohol and spicy snacks) that have been associated with sleep disruption.

However, new research in the journal Brain Sciences suggests you can also try a simple hack on those days when you didn’t sleep well and face a training run—or even a race. The solution: a cognitive warmup.

Researchers looked at two studies related to mental fatigue and sleep challenges, and how those played a role in subsequent activity.

In the first study, researchers assessed performance of 31 padel players (a game similar to pickleball) in several settings, including when they were well rested, and when they experienced sleep deprivation (which they defined as getting about 60 percent less sleep than typical duration—for example, three versus seven hours). In the latter scenario, researchers implemented both physical tasks, like brisk walking and bicep curls, and cognitive tasks, during preexercise warmups.

For the second study, 32 older adults did similar warmups that mixed together cognitive tasks of different durations—from two to five minutes—along with simple physical efforts like arm curls, walking, and sit-stand exercises.

In both studies, sleep deprivation increased mental fatigue and impaired performance, but the use of a combined warmup that brought together physical activity with some mental engagement led to better reaction time and more motivation among participants. Adding the cognitive drills provided more benefits than doing physical warmups only, according to study co-author Christopher Ring, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the School of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Birmingham, U.K.

“Movement is organized and orchestrated by the brain,” he tells Runner’s World. “Cognition, especially higher order executive functions, is a key process in the control of movement during exercise and sport performance. Cognitive drills can activate the central nervous system so you are optimally primed for your run.”

In the studies, participants did cognitive tasks that took under five minutes and involved what’s called the Stroop color-word task. This test involves naming the color of ink a word is printed in, rather than the word itself. For example, the word “orange” might be written in blue ink, so the correct answer when reading it is “blue.” Although it may seem like an easy task, reading is an automatic and very practiced skill, so naming colors in this way requires more attention, processing speed, and working memory than simply reading a word on its own.

Drills like these fire up the central nervous system in a way that optimizes cognition, says Ring. In turn, that makes it easier for your brain to send signals related to movement, like getting the legs to move faster on the run. This may also translate to optimizing movement in terms of better running form, Ring says, which is important when dealing with fatigue and sleep deprivation. The boost in cognition also means being able to pay attention better, which can help with body awareness when you hit your stride.

“Even for athletes who aren’t sleep deprived, doing short-to-medium cognitive tasks during warmups have been shown to improve sport and exercise performance,” Ring adds. “Because of that, it’s recommended that all athletes add these type of tasks to their warmup routine.”

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How to Warm Up Your Brain

The recent research used a specific app called SOMA-NPT, which was designed for coaches and athletes as a way to track mental fatigue and provide cognitive tasks that address specific aspects of brain function like reaction time, attention, and task accuracy. But you may be able to put together your own cognitive warmup drills by experimenting with different tools, says Shameema Yousuf, Ph.D., sports psychologist and certified mental performance consultant in the U.K. She was not involved with the recent study, but is familiar with research linking sleep issues to poor athletic performance.

“There’s no doubt that when we’re deprived of sleep, we tend not to perform at our best mentally and physically because the energy isn’t there,” she tells Runner’s World. “That can show up differently from runner to runner, though. One person may have a slower reaction time, for instance, so it’s harder to go at the speed you want. Another may feel distracted and that can lead to not checking in with your body while you run, potentially increasing your risk of injury.”

Doing games or puzzles that challenge your mental capacity can be useful as a starting point, she says. For example, doing a crossword or word game, like Wordle, may help with focus. You can even do these while, say, foam rolling so you both physically and mentally prepare for the run ahead.

You can also employ running-specific cognitive drills that prep you for the run ahead. That might include doing a physical warmup while visualizing the route ahead—if it’s a familiar road, for example, you can create notable progress markers like street signs, direction change spots, even houses or stores along the way.

“Going through the route in your mind is a way to create anticipation and break up the run into different segments,” says Yousuf. “That gives you a sense of accomplishment throughout the run that can keep you alert and engaged.”

Revisiting goals, focusing on positive self-talk, listening to motivating music, and doing a few minutes of meditation before a run all offer other cognitive drills that prep the mind for training or racing, she adds.

“Much like a physical warmup, where you do some trial and error to see what works best for you, cognitive strategies need to be personalized,” Yousuf says. “You need to build your own toolbox for a more tactical approach. It’s helpful to start playing around with some of these tactics before you’re sleep deprived, so you know what works on those days when you need them most.”