One good night's sleep reduces fatigue in hockey players
Could the secret to bouncing back after a grueling practice be as simple as sleeping just a little bit longer for one night?
A study conducted by Professor Guido Simonelli and his team at Université de Montréal reveals that a single night of extended sleep can significantly reduce fatigue in young elite hockey players. The research involved 22 players from the Quebec Remparts, a team in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, who experienced one night of normal sleep and one night of extended sleep, with each condition lasting 10 hours in bed and five days in between.
Despite the wake-up time remaining unchanged, the extended sleep resulted in a 16% increase in total sleep time (from an average of 424 minutes to 491 minutes). After the extended-sleep night, players showed a 23% reduction in perceived fatigue and an 8% improvement in reaction time during a demanding cognitive task. However, the benefits did not extend to other measures such as psychomotor vigilance, jump height, or grip strength.
The researchers suggest that the positive effects may arise from the enhanced functioning of the dorsal prefrontal cortex, a brain region responsible for cognitive control. While the study involved only male athletes, the findings could potentially apply to female players as well. More research is needed to determine if these benefits translate into improved on-ice performance and if they hold true throughout the season.
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