This study attempted to find a correlation between hours slept on days preceding high jump competition and height jumped during competition. Four male subjects aged 18-20 recorded sleep and subjective mood ratings on a daily basis. Heights jumped in competition were recorded during the sleep data collection period. Values for sleep on consecutive nights before competi-tion were compared to heights jumped using sample correlation coefficients (r). Length of sleep recording and number of competitions varied for each athlete. Average r-values were all positive, indicating a positive correlation between sleep hours and height jumped. However, dearth of data and great variation between individual data sets nullified many of the implied conclusions. Errors posed, like psychological factors stemming from background in sleep, academic schedules interfering with sleep habits, and individual lifestyles of each athlete further complicated the study. Regardless, it was suggested that cumulative sleep up to two days before competition had a direct affect on performance. Further, it was concluded that there was a significantly positive correlation between daily mood and daily hours slept. The results call for future studies of longer duration, which consider the effect of sleep on both maximal and sub-maximal low-endurance activity.
© Copyright 1999 All rights reserved.