The impact of melatonin supplementation on auditory reaction time during sleep deprivation: A comparative study in college sportsmen

Authors

  • Vinod Kumar G Department of Physical Education and Sports, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India.
  • Vinu W Department of Physical Education and Sports, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6745-9893
  • Sathish Kumar Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, Coimbatore, India.
  • Dilshith A. Kabeer Department of Physical Education and Sports, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6018/sportk.615441
Keywords: Sleep Deprivation, Melatonin Supplementation, Auditory Reaction Time, Sportsmen

Abstract

Sleep deprivation is prevalent among athletes during competitions and is known to impair both motor and mental performance. This study aimed to assess how these performance decrements vary with melatonin supplementation. Sixty college sportsmen were divided into six groups (n=10 each): (a) disturbed sleep deprivation for 48 hours, (b) complete sleep deprivation for 48 hours, (c) disturbed sleep deprivation for 48 hours with melatonin supplementation, (d) complete sleep deprivation for 48 hours with melatonin supplementation, (e) normal sleep with melatonin supplementation, and (f) normal sleep. Melatonin, a hormone secreted by the pineal gland with known sleep-promoting effects, was administered orally at 6 mg for sleep-deprived groups and a placebo for non-supplemented groups. Auditory reaction time was measured using standard procedures. The results indicated that auditory reaction time decreased after 48 hours of disturbed and complete sleep deprivation, with a greater reduction observed in the melatonin supplementation group than in the placebo group. These findings underscore the complex interplay between sleep deprivation, melatonin supplementation, and auditory processing, suggesting that melatonin supplementation may mitigate the negative effects of sleep deprivation on auditory reaction time in athletes.

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Published
17-11-2025
How to Cite
Kumar G, V., W, V., Kumar, S., & A. Kabeer, D. (2025). The impact of melatonin supplementation on auditory reaction time during sleep deprivation: A comparative study in college sportsmen. SPORT TK-EuroAmerican Journal of Sport Sciences, 14, 120. https://doi.org/10.6018/sportk.615441
Issue
Vol. 14 (2025)
Section
Articles

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1. The Publication Service of the University of Murcia (the publisher) has the Publication Rights (Copyright) to the published papers and works, and favors and permits the reusing of the same under the license indicated in point 2.

© Servicio de Publicaciones, Universidad de Murcia, 2013

2. The papers and works are to be published in the digital edition of the Journal under the license Creative Commons Reconocimiento-No Comercial-Sin Obra Derivada 3.0 España (legal text). The copying, using, spreading, transmitting and publicly displaying of the papers, works or publication are permitted as long as: i) the authors and original sources (Journal, publisher and URL of the publication) are quoted; ii) it is not used for commercial benefit; iii) the existence and specifications of this users license are mentioned.

3. Conditions of Self-Archiving. It is permitted and encouraged that the authors spread electronically the pre-print (before printing) and/or post-print (the revised, evaluated and accepted) versions of their papers or works before their publication since this favors their circulation and early diffusion and therefore can help increase their citation and quotation, and also there reach through the academic community.