Effect of one night of sleep deprivation on the diurnal patterns of steroid hormones

Summary The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of one night of sleep deprivation on the waking and diurnal cycles of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and testosterone. Saliva samples were collected every 3 hours from 0600 to 2100 hours on 2 separate days [after 1 night of 8 hours in bed; after 1 night with complete sleep deprivation] in 9 recreationally trained soccer players. Diurnal decline for all steroids was observed under both conditions. There was, however, a significant increase in cortisol concentrations on the 2 nd part of the day (i.e., 1800 and 2100 hours, P