Abstract
Objective The impact of sleep deprivation on the physiological determinants of explosive torque
production remains poorly understood. We aimed at determining the acute effects of
24 hours of sleep deprivation on the sequential rate of torque development (RTD) obtained
during plantar flexion through maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC).
Materials and Methods The study included 14 healthy-young adults (8 men and 6 women). The participants
visited the laboratory on 2 different occasions: without and with 24 hours of sleep
deprivation. In each session, the subjects were tested for RTD of the plantar flexors
with concomitant recordings of the electromyographic (EMG) amplitude of the soleus
over the following time intervals: 0 to 30, 30 to 50, 50 to 100, and 100 to 150 ms.
Results Sleep deprivation did not affect peak RTD (without sleep deprivation: 283.3 ± 111.6 N.m.s−1 versus with sleep deprivation: 294.9 ± 99.2 N.m.s−1; p > 0.05) of plantar flexion. The sequential values of RTD, as well as the normalized
amplitude of the soleus EMG, remained similar between both conditions (p > 0.05).
Discussion In conclusion, we found that 24 hours of sleep deprivation do not affect muscle activation,
nor explosive torque production throughout the torque-time curve. Thus, exercise performance
and daily functionality in tasks involving rapid torque development might remain well
preserved after 24 hours of acute sleep deprivation.
Keywords
fatigue - sleep deprivation - torque-time curve - electromyography
