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

We’ve all heard it sufficient occasions nevertheless it bears repeating as a result of it’s so elementary and so true: all of the exhausting coaching you rigorously plan involves nothing with out high quality restoration that permits you to adapt to that stress. And presumably no restoration technique is extra necessary that getting enough quantities of high quality sleep.

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

So earlier than we get into as we speak’s research, if there’s just one factor you care to concentrate on this low season, I recommend that or not 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). Additionally they appeared on the efficacy of adopting improved sleep hygiene methods on sleep high quality. Whereas this isn’t a research 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 similar advantages. That is not like testing particular efficiency interventions like dietary supplements and even coaching protocols.

How was this research carried out?

• 16 (8 males/8 females) Italian Olympic-level observe and subject athletes have been examined at: 1) Preseason, 2) in the course of 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 screens are extra correct than the everyday business wearables fashionable with athletes. Notice that the gold commonplace for sleep analysis is polysomnography, however this was not sensible since this requires numerous sensors and sleeping inside a sleep lab.
• The measures included: 1) bedtime, 2) wakeup time, 3) whole sleep time, 4) sleep latency (how lengthy it takes to go to sleep, 5) sleep effectivity (whole 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 at the least 10 nights measured within the preseason and in-season.
• Once more, I’ll discuss extra about sleep hygiene one other time, however these have been individualized and skilled over 3 weeks.

Go Sleep On It

The primary outcomes of the research have 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 might wish to particularly concentrate on enhancing and rising their sleep.
• Lengthy-distance athletes had larger nap frequency however decrease sleep high quality than athletes in short-duration or power-based disciplines. Additionally they had earlier bedtimes and wakeup occasions. This may very well be largely on account of variations with coaching schedule. What does this imply for us? In the event 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 should you have a tendency to coach within the night, if in any respect potential 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 sport. At baseline, 3/18 have been categorized as poor sleepers, with low sleep effectivity and low precise sleep time of < 7 hours. That is in step with 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 members, 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 have been steady 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 method 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 experience 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-Subject Athletes Going through 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

Like PEZ? Why not subscribe to our weekly publication to obtain updates and reminders on what’s cool in highway biking?