A proper recovery strategy is very important for sub-elite and elite cyclists tackling strenuous training over several days. Among these strategies, sleep stands out as one of the most important strategies for effective recovery. Unfortunately, many athletes in this population experience sleep restriction, especially between bouts of exercise.
Not only do these restrictions lead to poor performance, they also negatively impact mood and motivation.A recent study published in sleep research journal It aims to investigate the effects of sleep deprivation on cycling performance, mood and overall health.
To investigate this, the researchers recruited 10 well-trained men to wear the actigraph for 10 consecutive nights to monitor their sleep quality and keep a sleep diary. He conducted two experiments, separated by at least a week and manipulating the amount of sleep in between.
Each trial consisted of two consecutive days of exercise. On Day 1, the participant worked on his 90-minute cycling protocol in the afternoon, and on Day 2 he completed a 30-minute cycling protocol followed by a 30-minute recovery period. Participants experienced both 8 and 3 hours of sleep in a balanced order.
The results revealed that the mean power output (PO) during the test was higher in the control group that got 8 hours of sleep compared to the sleep-restricted group. Sleep restriction reduced average power output during endurance cycling tests, including 4- and 20-minute time trials, and also reduced sprint performance during the 6-second peak power test. This performance decline occurred despite no significant changes in physiological variables such as heart rate and blood parameters.
Physiological measures showed no significant differences between the two groups, but the sleep-restricted group improved their overall health status (fatigue, sleep quality, generalized muscle soreness, stress, combined mood score) reported a significant decrease.
It is important to note that participants were aware of the sleep intervention and that it may have influenced the study results. Nonetheless, research results show that restricting sleep to just 3 hours each night between exercise on consecutive days, mimicking a typical training and competition schedule, adversely affects cycling performance the next day. Proven. These results highlight the important role of sleep in exercise performance and overall health.
“In conclusion, restricting sleep to 3 hours each night between consecutive days of exercise that mimics a typical training or competition schedule negatively impacts next-day cycling performance,” the researchers wrote. . “This may be due, in part, to the downregulation of exercise intensity to maintain similar physiological responses, decreased overall well-being, and the preconceived notion that sleep restriction negates exercise performance. there is.”
“The results of this study suggest that not only is sleep important for exercise performance, but health status may also influence cycling performance. Our findings suggest that both sprint and endurance cyclists should prioritize sleep as an important recovery strategy during training and competition preparation.”
the study, “Restricting sleep between several consecutive days of exercise reduces performance in sprints and endurance cycling.is written by Blake Dean, Tegan Hartman, Georgia Wingfield, Penelope Larsen, and Melissa Skane.
