Dreaming of Gold – Sleep & Efficiency

The low season is the proper time to reset and recalibrate ourselves for higher habits that can set us up for higher well being and efficiency in 2024. A basic behavior is adequate high quality sleep. How did elite observe and subject athletes method sleep previous to the Tokyo Olympics?

We’ve all heard it sufficient instances but it surely bears repeating as a result of it’s so basic and so true: all of the exhausting coaching you fastidiously plan involves nothing with out high quality restoration that means that you can adapt to that stress. And probably no restoration technique is extra necessary that getting adequate quantities of high quality sleep.

You should use all the flowery restoration devices available on the market and have the perfect dietary plans, however sleep is absolutely the time when restoration is ALL that the physique is doing. It’s bodily not working round cleansing the home, chasing the youngsters, or strolling the canine. Mentally it’s consolidating your psychological exercise and reminiscence. Hormonally progress hormone is being launched to facilitate bodily restoration and adaptation. All of those and plenty of extra crucial features are being short-changed in the event you lower corners on sleep.

So earlier than we get into at present’s research, if there’s just one factor you care to concentrate on this low season, I counsel that it’s optimizing each the amount and high quality of sleep.

Vitale et al. 2023

An Italian group explored the sleep and nap methods of Italian observe and subject Olympic hopefuls previous to the Tokyo 2021 Olympics (Vitale et al. 2023). In addition they regarded on the efficacy of adopting improved sleep hygiene methods on sleep high quality. Whereas this isn’t a on cyclists, it’s at all times instructive to discover the habits of elite athletes. That is very true for one thing like sleep, the place much less elite athletes can undertake the very same methods and sure reap many of the identical advantages. That is not like testing particular efficiency interventions like dietary supplements and even coaching protocols.

How was this research executed?

• 16 (8 males/8 females) Italian Olympic-level observe and subject athletes had been examined at: 1) Preseason, 2) throughout the in-season interval, and three) after adopting individualized sleep hygiene methods (I’ll have a future article all about optimizing sleep hygiene).
• Sleep was recorded utilizing diaries and likewise actigraphy (a wearable that tracks movement). These displays are extra correct than the standard industrial wearables common with athletes. Observe that the gold normal for sleep analysis is polysomnography, however this was not sensible since this requires a whole lot of sensors and sleeping inside a sleep lab.
• The measures included: 1) bedtime, 2) wakeup time, 3) complete sleep time, 4) sleep latency (how lengthy it takes to go to sleep, 5) sleep effectivity (complete sleep time as a share of mattress time), 6) Wake After Sleep Onset (period of time awake after sleep is initiated), 7) subjective sleep high quality. Every athlete had a minimum of 10 nights measured within the preseason and in-season.
• Once more, I’ll discuss extra about sleep hygiene one other time, however these had been individualized and skilled over 3 weeks.

Go Sleep On It

The principle outcomes of the research had been as follows

• Feminine athletes tended to have higher sleep high quality and amount, earlier bedtime, and decrease nap frequency than males. The thought of intercourse variations in sleep high quality is attention-grabbing, with another research supporting this discovering. Whether or not this distinction is a social assemble or innate physiological variations stay unclear. Regardless, male athletes could wish to particularly concentrate on enhancing and growing their sleep.
• Lengthy-distance athletes had larger nap frequency however decrease sleep high quality than athletes in short-duration or power-based disciplines. In addition they had earlier bedtimes and wakeup instances. This could possibly be largely resulting from variations with coaching schedule. What does this imply for us? When you usually practice within the morning earlier than work, do NOT skimp on sleep however attempt to discover methods to get to mattress earlier. And in the event you have a tendency to coach within the night, if in any respect attainable attempt to keep away from an early begin to your day.
• Sleep hygiene methods elevated sleep amount and shortened sleep onset latency, however had no impact on sleep effectivity.

One necessary discovering is that even elite athletes can stand to enhance their recreation. At baseline, 3/18 had been categorized as poor sleepers, with low sleep effectivity and low precise sleep time of < 7 hours. That is according to different research monitoring sleep in high-level athletes, and once more reinforces how this can be a main supply of enchancment.

Napping was a well-liked technique amongst the research contributors, with about 1/3 of tracked days that includes a nap of 47-48 minutes, beginning roughly round 1430h. Napping was extra frequent in males and in long-distance athletes. These patterns had been secure throughout each the baseline and the sleep hygiene coaching phases.

Abstract

Hopefully this text didn’t put you to sleep, however fairly piqued your curiosity about the advantages of specializing in sleep as a manner to enhance each your efficiency and your total well being. Within the coming months I’ll discover the subject of sleep in additional element!

Have enjoyable and trip quick!

References

Vitale JA, Borghi S, Piacentini MF, et al (2023) To Sleep Dreaming Medals: Sleep Traits, Napping Conduct, and Sleep-Hygiene Methods in Elite Observe-and-Area Athletes Dealing with the Olympic Video games of Tokyo 2021. Worldwide Journal of Sports activities Physiology and Efficiency 18:1412–1419. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2023-0144