Sarah Kölling

Sleep, Travel, and Recovery Responses of National Footballers during and after Long-Haul International Air Travel

PURPOSE The current study examined the sleep, travel, and recovery responses of elite footballers during and after long-haul international air travel, with a further description of these responses over the ensuing competitive tour (including 2 matches). METHODS In an observational design, 15 elite male football players undertook 18 h of predominantly westward international air travel from the United Kingdom to South America (-4-h time-zone shift) for a 10-d tour. Objective sleep parameters, external and internal training loads, subjective player match performance, technical match data, and perceptual jet-lag and recovery measures were collected. RESULTS Significant differences were evident between outbound travel and recovery night 1 (night of arrival; P < .001) for sleep duration. Sleep efficiency was also significantly reduced during outbound travel compared with recovery nights 1 (P = .001) and 2 (P = .004). Furthermore, both match nights (5 and 10), showed significantly less sleep than nonmatch nights 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 (all P < .001). No significant differences were evident between baseline and any time point for all perceptual measures of jet-lag and recovery (P > .05), although large effects were evident for jet-lag on d 2 (2 d after arrival). CONCLUSIONS Sleep duration is truncated during long-haul international travel with a 4-h time-zone delay and after night matches in elite footballers. However, this lost sleep appeared to have a limited effect on perceptual recovery, which may be explained by a westbound flight and a relatively small change in time zones, in addition to the significant increase in sleep duration on the night of arrival after the long-haul flight.

Validity of the acute recovery and stress scale: training monitoring of the German junior national field hockey team

The aim of the present study was to examine the sensitivity of the Acute Recovery and Stress Scale (ARSS). This new psychometric questionnaire was developed to assess the physical, mental, emotional, and overall recovery and stress states of athletes. During a five-day field hockey training camp of the German Junior National Field Hockey Team (n = 25) the ARSS was administered every morning and evening. The study indicated swift reactions of the scores of the physical and general factors as well as stability of scores for the emotional factors in accordance with the training schedule. The straining effect of the camp was best reflected by the adaptations of the scales Physical Performance Capability(F2.9, 60.3 = 10.0, p< 0.001) and Muscular Stress(F4, 84 = 16.7, p < 0.001). The results support the ability of the ARSS to monitor recovery-stress (im-)balances in this sample. Thus, the questionnaire has shown to be a sensitive and practical tool that might be suitable for elite sport settings.

The longer the better: Sleep-wake patterns during preparation of the World Rowing Junior Championships.

ABSTRACT Recovery is essential for high athletic performance, and therefore especially sleep has been identified as a crucial source for physical and psychological well-being. However, due to early-morning trainings, which are general practice in many sports, athletes are likely to experience sleep restrictions. Therefore, this study investigated the sleep–wake patterns of 55 junior national rowers (17.7 ± 0.6 years) via sleep logs and actigraphy during a four-week training camp. Recovery and stress ratings were obtained every morning with the Short Recovery and Stress Scale on a 7-point Likert-type scale ranging from 0 (does not apply at all) to 6 (fully applies). The first training session was scheduled for 6:30 h every day. With two to four training sessions per day, the training load was considerably increased from athletes’ home training. Objective sleep measures (n = 14) revealed less total sleep time (TST) in the first two weeks (342.9 ± 30.3 and 340.4 ± 32.0 min), while training volume and intensity were higher. In the second half of the camp, less training sessions were implemented, more afternoons were training free and TSTs were longer (357.0 ± 24.6 and 368.7 ± 44.8 min). A single occasion of 1.5-h delayed bedtime and usual early morning training (6:30 h) resulted in reduced ratings of Overall Recovery (OR) (M = 3.3 ± 1.3) and greater Negative Emotional State (NES) (M = 1.3 ± 1.2, p < .05), which returned to baseline on the next day. Following an extended night due to the only training-free day, sleep-offset times were shifted from ~5:30 to ~8:00 h, and each recovery and stress score improved (p < .01). Moreover, subjective ratings of the first six days were summarised as a baseline score to generate reference data as well as to explore the association between sleep and recovery. Intercorrelations of these sleep parameters emphasised the relationship between restful sleep and falling asleep quickly (r = .34, p < .05) as well as few awakenings (r = .35, p < .05). Overall, the findings highlight the impact of sleep on subjective recovery measures in the setting of a training camp. Providing the opportunity of extended sleep (and a day off) seems the most simple and effective strategy to enhance recovery and stress-related ratings.

Acute effects of psychological relaxation techniques between two physical tasks

ABSTRACT The concept of recovery strategies includes various ways to achieve a state of well-being, prevent underrecovery syndromes from occurring and re-establish pre-performance states. A systematic application of individualised relaxation techniques is one of those. Following a counterbalanced cross-over design, 27 sport science students (age 25.22 ± 1.08 years; sports participation 8.08 ± 3.92 h/week) were randomly assigned to series of progressive muscle relaxation, systematic breathing, power nap, yoga, and a control condition. Once a week, over the course of five weeks, their repeated sprint ability was tested. Tests (6 sprints of 4 s each with 20 s breaks between them) were executed on a non-motorised treadmill twice during that day intermitted by 25 min breaks. RM-ANOVA revealed significant interaction effects between the relaxation conditions and the two sprint sessions with regard to average maximum speed over all six sprints, F(4,96) = 4.06, P = 0.004, = 0.15. Post-hoc tests indicated that after systematic breathing interventions, F(1,24) = 5.02, P = 0.033, = 0.18, participants performed significantly better compared to control sessions. As the focus of this study lied on basic mechanisms of relaxation techniques in sports, this randomised controlled trial provides us with distinct knowledge on their effects, i.e., systematic breathing led to better performances, and therefore, seems to be a suited relaxation method during high-intensity training.

Sleep monitoring of a six-day microcycle in strength and high-intensity training

Abstract This study examined the effect of microcycles in eccentric strength and high-intensity interval training (HIT) on sleep parameters and subjective ratings. Forty-two well-trained athletes (mean age 23.2 ± 2.4 years) were either assigned to the strength (n = 21; mean age 23.6 ± 2.1 years) or HIT (n = 21; mean age 22.8 ± 2.6 years) protocol. Sleep monitoring was conducted with multi-sensor actigraphy (SenseWear Armband™, Bodymedia, Pittsburg, PA, USA) and sleep log for 14 days. After a five-day baseline phase, participants completed either eccentric accented strength or high-intensity interval training for six days, with two training sessions per day. This training phase was divided into two halves (part 1 and 2) for statistical analyses. A three-day post phase concluded the monitoring. The Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes was applied at baseline, end of part 2, and at the last post-day. Mood ratings were decreased during training, but returned to baseline values afterwards in both groups. Sleep parameters in the strength group remained constant over the entire process. The HIT group showed trends of unfavourable sleep during the training phase (e.g., objective sleep efficiency at part 2: mean = 83.6 ± 7.8%, F3,60 = 2.57, P = 0.06, = 0.114) and subjective improvements during the post phase for awakenings (F3,60 = 2.96, P = 0.04, = 0.129) and restfulness of sleep (F3,60 = 9.21, P < 0.001, = 0.315). Thus, the HIT protocol seems to increase higher recovery demands than strength training, and sufficient sleep time should be emphasised and monitored.

Comparing Subjective With Objective Sleep Parameters Via Multisensory Actigraphy in German Physical Education Students

This study compared subjective with objective sleep parameters among 72 physical education students. Furthermore, the study determined whether 24-hr recording differs from nighttime recording only. Participants wore the SenseWear Armband™ for three consecutive nights and kept a sleep log. Agreement rates ranged from moderate to low for sleep onset latency (ICC = 0.39 to 0.70) and wake after sleep onset (ICC = 0.22 to 0.59), while time in bed (ICC = 0.93 to 0.95) and total sleep time (ICC = 0.90 to 0.92) revealed strong agreement during this period. Comparing deviations between 24-hr wearing time (n = 24) and night-only application (n = 20) revealed no statistical difference (p > 0.05). As athletic populations have yet to be investigated for these purposes, this study provides useful indicators and practical implications for future studies.

The effect of westward travel across five time zones on sleep and subjective jet-lag ratings in athletes before and during the 2015's World Rowing Junior Championships.

ABSTRACT This study examined sleep-wake habits and subjective jet-lag ratings of 55 German junior rowers (n = 30 male, 17.8 ± 0.5 years) before and during the World Rowing Junior Championships 2015 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Athletes answered sleep logs every morning, and Liverpool John Moore’s University Jet-Lag Questionnaires each evening and morning. Following an 11-h westward flight with 5-h time shift, advanced bedtimes (−1 h, P < .001, ηp2 = 0.68), reduced sleep onset latency (P = .002, ηp2 = 0.53) and increased sleep duration (P < .001, ηp2 = 0.60) were reported for the first two nights. Jet-lag symptoms peaked upon arrival but were still present after 6 days. Sleep quality improved (P < .001, ηp2 = 0.31) as well as some scales of the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes. Participation was successful as indicated by 11 of 13 top 3 placings. Overall, the initial desynchronisation did not indicate negative impacts on competition performance. As travel fatigue probably had a major effect on perceptual decrements, sleep during travel and time to recover upon arrival should be emphasised. Coaches and practitioners should consider higher sleep propensity in the early evening by scheduling training sessions and meetings until the late afternoon.

Erholung und Belastung im Leistungssport

Der Erholungs-Beanspruchungszustand einer Person ist ein komplexes Konstrukt, das von psychischen, physischen, sozialen sowie Situations- und Kontextfaktoren beeinflusst wird. Die subjektive Bewertung einer (objektiven) Belastung spielt dabei eine besondere Rolle. Verschiedene Diagnostik- und Monitoringinstrumente konnen das Verhaltnis von Erholung und Beanspruchung darstellen und fur die Trainingssteuerung genutzt werden.

Sleep-related Issues for Recovery and Performance in Athletes

The body of research that reports the relevance of sleep in high-performance sports is growing steadily. While the identification of sleep cycles and diagnosis of sleep disorders are limited to lab-based assessment via polysomnography, the development of activity-based devices estimating sleep patterns provides greater insight into the sleep behavior of athletes in ecological settings. Generally, small sleep quantity and/or poor quality appears to exist in many athletic populations, although this may be related to training and competition context. Typical sleep-affecting factors are the scheduling of training sessions and competitions, as well as impaired sleep onset as a result of increased arousal prior to competition or due to the use of electronic devices before bedtime. Further challenges are travel demands, which may be accompanied by jet-lag symptoms and disruption of sleep habits. Promotion of sleep may be approached via behavioral strategies such as sleep hygiene, extending nighttime sleep, or daytime napping. Pharmacological interventions should be limited to clinically induced treatments, as evidence among healthy and athletic populations is lacking. To optimize and manage sleep in athletes, it is recommended to implement routine sleep monitoring on an individual basis.