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Fatigue

The association between fatigue and a lack of sleep seems a bit of a no-brainer. Who hasn't experienced the feeling of fatigue from a lack of sleep at some stage in their life?

Sargent, Lastella, Halson and Roach (2014) completed a study that showed sleep deprivation effects an athlete's fatigue. 70 elite athletes across 7 sports, recorded their sleep, training, and perceived fatigue levels prior to each training session over a period of 2 weeks. It was discovered, as you would expect, less sleep was associated with higher levels of fatigue.

Fatigue can have a detrimental effect on your performance, due to a lack of energy, concentration, etc. It can also effect your training as fatigue is likely to reduce your intensity, enjoyment, and training time, which is likely to have a negative knock-on effect on your performance.

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The effect of fatigue on performance may very across sports

It has been suggested that the impact of fatigue (due to a lack of sleep) on performance will vary across different sport activities. E.g., a study by Taheri and Arabameri (2012) showed that sleep debt had no effect on a short anaerobic exercise. Participants cycled (in a laboratory setting) as fast as they could for a period of 30 seconds, and their performance was unaffected after a night of no sleep.

 

In the same study, participants also completed a reaction time test and the lack of sleep did have a negative effect on reaction time. These finding supports an idea that sports that are short in duration, and rely on anaerobic exercise or power are less likely to be affected by sleep loss. Whereas, fine motor skill sports, such as shooting, golf, and darts that rely on cognitive functions will be more affected by sleep deprivation.

The moral of the story

Experiencing fatigue is not uncommon for athletes as they push themselves in competition and training. It's important to look out for signs of fatigue, and find the right balance in regards to the amount and intensity of training, competition, and recovery.

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Defeat

Symptoms of fatigue:

  • Tiredness

  • Moodiness

  • Increased perception of effort

  • Poor performances

  • Loss of enjoyment in training/competing

  • Poor sleep

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The impact on performance

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Accuracy

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Reaction

Doctor's Visit

Illness

Sports Injury

Injury

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Memory

Return....

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References

Sargent, C., Lastella, M., Halson, S.C., & Roach, G.D. (2014). The impact of training schedules on the sleep and fatigue of elite athletes. Chronobiology International, 31(10), 1160-1168.

Taheri, M., & Arabameri, E. (2012). The effect of sleep deprivation on choice reaction time and anaerobic power of college student athletes. Asian journal of sports medicine, 3(1), 15–20.

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