Lecture 9: Sleep, Recovery and Rest

Question 1

What are the 5 defined sleep stages, including the waking state

Answer 1

1. Stage W (waking state); The EEG contains alpha activity
2. Sleep stage N1; characterized by a relatively low-amplitude, mixed-frequency EEG often accompanied by slow, rolling eye movements (SEM = slow eye movements). Decreasing muscle tone.
   —> also called drowsiness, transition between wakefulness and sleep
3. ** Sleep stage N2**; characterized by sleep spindles and K-complexes on the background of relatively low-amplitude mixed-frequency EEG activity.
   —> accounts for the largest percentage of the night; stable sleep
4. ** Sleep stage N3 (deep sleep)**; characterized by slow-wave activity (SWS = slow-wave sleep or delta waves) of 0.5–2 Hz and an amplitude greater than 75 μV in the frontal EEG lead.
   —> muscles are deeply relaxed and heart/breathing rate are slow; dominant in the first half of the night
5. ** Sleep stage R**; characterized by a relatively low-amplitude mixed-frequency EEG in combina- tion with episodically occurring rapid eye move- ments (REM = rapid eye movement) and a low-amplitude EMG.
   —> completely paralyzed muscles; dominant in the second half of the night

Question 2

What are 3 ways to measure sleep in the laboratory/field

Answer 2

1. Polysomnography; sleep is measured by three physiological parameters: brain waves, eye move- ments and muscle tone. These parameters are recorded by electroencephalography (EEG), electrooculogram (EOG) and electromyography (EMG). Over one night, this standard recording reveals cyclic changes in the physiological parameters. Based on these variations, sleep can be divided into different stages.
2. Actigraphy; The activity monitor is a small accelerometer that is sensitive to movement direc- tion and intensity. The basic idea of actigraphy is that movement is correlated with alertness, and long periods of inactivity are correlated with sleep. Activity monitors (often worn on the non-dominant wrist) have the advantage that they are suitable for field studies because they are easy to use for participants. However, they are limited because they can- not really distinguish between sleep (or even different sleep stages) and alertness.
3. Sleep Questionnaires

Question 3

How many hours of sleep do we tend to have

Answer 3

Newborn; 2/3 of the day (polyphasic = several sleep episodes occur in 24h period)
End of infancy; 12-13h
Early childhood; 10-11
Young adulthood; 7-8h
Old age; 7-8h, polyphasic

Question 4

explain the quality and duration of sleep of athletes compared to people who are physically inactive

Answer 4

athletes sleep longer and better than people who are physically inactive

Question 5

how many hours of sleep are recommended and how many hours were average for athletes

Answer 5

7-9h, 6-7h

Question 6

explain how training times, morning and evening types, training forms, overtraining, naps and nutrition influence sleep

Answer 6

• training times; early training sessions lead to shorter than recommended sleeping time
• morning and evening types; people who prefer early mornings tend to do sports that require training in the morning and same for evenings
• training forms; intensive intermittent exercise results in a higher recovery requirement than strength training, and therefore increased sleep time
• overtraining; sleep efficiency is significantly reduced in the transition from symptoms of overuse to overtraining, often interpreted to mean that sleep disorders occur in parallel with overtraining
• naps; naps seem to be a suitable method for athletes to reduce sleep debt, can be beneficial in learning skills, strategies or tactics
• nutrition; nutritional behavior can also have an influence on sleep. For example, carbohydrates that can be quickly absorbed by the body seem to be more supportive of sleep if they are taken about an hour before going to bed. On the other hand, high amounts of fat seem to reduce the total sleeping time.

Question 7

explain four points about the relation between sleep and competitions

Answer 7

• sleep was reported to be worse before competitions, but there are no differences comparing sleep quality scores
• there was a correlation between anxiety before a competition and how recovered athletes felt after sleep
• multiple-day competitions with varying starting times can have a negative effect on quality and duration of sleep
• stressful situations, such as competitions, might alter the dream content of athletes and consequently evoke disturbed dreaming

Question 8

what are 6 recommendations for sleep promoting activities

Answer 8

1. Establish a bedtime routine:
   - rituals and/or repetitive behaviors associated with sleep to prepare body and mind for the night
   - relaxation or stress management strategies to reduce cognitive and emotional arousal
2. Develop a positive mindset towards sleep:
   - challenge irrational attitudes and beliefs about sleep
   - accept occasional occurrences of sleeplessness and unrestful sleep
3. Limit use of electronic devices before bedtime:
   - avoid emission of blue light which suppresses melatonin release (inhibiting sleepiness)
   - reduce activities that may cause cognitive and/or emotional arousal
4. Sleep extension:
   - extended sleep periods may enhance performance and mood
   - must be aligned with the schedule
   - beneficial as long as sufficient drive to sleep at night is generated
5. Daytime naps:
   - to reduce acute sleepiness
   - must be aligned with appropriate time of the day and schedule
   - establish individual optimal duration (ideally avoiding deep sleep and REM sleep for short-term recovery)
6. Sleep hygiene recommendations:
   - arrange the bedroom dark, quiet, and cool
   - avoid alcohol, caffeine and stimulating beverages before bedtime
   - reduce cognitive and physical strain before bedtime

Question 9

explain different aspects of recovery

Answer 9

• regeneration = on the micro level, recovery is achieved through physiological processes that take place to restore the hormonal, cellular and fluid balance, among others, to undo the fatigue or damage which is induced by training and competition
• immediate recovery = takes place between rapid, time-proximal finite efforts
• short-term recovery = recovery between training sets, with different work-to-rest ratios that are suggested
• training/competition recovery = the time between separate sessions or bouts

Question 10

what are 4 recovery strategies

Answer 10

1. Physical recovery strategies; e.g. cool-down activities, stretching
2. Psychological strategies; e.g. relaxation techniques, systematic breathing
3. Social recovery; e.g. visiting family/friends, phone, messaging
4. Pro-active recovery; e.g. mindfulness practices, purposeful breaks, changing task/environment

Question 11

explain the difference between functional overreaching and non-functional overreaching

Answer 11

Training is a process of overload that is deliberately used to disturb homoeostasis, which causes acute fatigue and eventually leads to an improvement in performance
after recovery. Thus, short-term decrements in performance are intentionally anticipated in terms of functional overreaching to achieve the effect of supercompensation. An imbalance between training load and recovery will lead to non-functional overreaching, where the first signs of psychological and hormonal disturbances will occur.

Question 12

explain overtraining syndrome

Answer 12

Overtraining as a verb indicates a process of intensified training with possible outcomes of short-term (functional) overreaching, non-functional overreaching or overtraining syndrome. “By using the expression ‘syndrome’, we emphasize the multifactorial aetiology and acknowledge that exercise (training) is not necessarily the sole causative factor of the syndrome”

Question 13

explain underrecovery

Answer 13

precondition of overtraining syndrome, which is characterized by an imbalance between life demands and recovery

Question 14

what are 4 interventions that can be taught to someone showing signs of overreaching/overtraining syndrome

Answer 14

• recovery-stress monitoring; engage consciously in a mood-repair mode in which he would deliberately choose activities, music and readings with a mood-­enhancing impact
• activities outside the sport
• increase awareness of training intensity and recovery aspects
• autogenic training to support the re-establishment of his emotional balance and enhance his recovery capacity

Question 15

T/F: it is important to monitor training and recovery process and use self-report measures

Answer 15

true

Question 16

explain recovery management in sport

Answer 16

• recovery can be realized through either terminating or reducing stress or through change of activities
• recovery strategies should always be implemented purposefully and in accordance with the individual’s preferences
• self-monitoring is important, as insufficient knowledge on recovery and/or individually inadequate recovery activities as well as insufficient self-regulation are major contributors to underrecovery
• self-control is needed to initiate appropriate recovery strategies, which even may be effortful and require additional resources

Question 17

explain recovery paradox

Answer 17

When there is an increased necessity to recover in the face of high stressors, but the likelihood to actually recover under these circumstances is reduced

Question 18

explain chronic recovery and acute recovery

Answer 18

Withholding recovery at certain times (most commonly in preparation phase) serves to maximize adaptation to training in the long-term (chronic recovery). In terms of acute recovery, increased recovery should be used to decrease acute fatigue during the competition phase or to prepare for certain training sessions.

Question 19

what are 4 kinds of recovery and give some examples

Answer 19

1. Regeneration and physical recovery: adequate sleep, rehydration, nutrition, cold-water immersion, cool-­ down, stretching, foam rolling
2. Cognitive/mental recovery: breathing techniques, power napping, imagery, relaxation techniques
3. Emotional recovery: mindfulness-based practice, debriefing, expressive writing
4. Social recovery: enjoyable activities with family and friends

Question 20

explain rest

Answer 20

typically taken to mean a reduction or cessation of training and competition activities; a “method” for achieving recovery, is a “passive” rather than “active” recovery method (e.g. cool-down jogging) and is “characterized by inactivity”, where “inactivity” is implicitly considered as physical inactivity

Question 21

explain psychological detachment

Answer 21

recovery experience that involves stopping thinking about stressful elements of sport when away from sport, thoughts that would otherwise lead to strain, which comprises deleterious physiological and psychological symptoms
–> psychological detachment was significantly positively related to mental energy and significantly negatively related to incidence of injury (has a role in recovery)

Question 22

explain rest and its relation to acquiring movement skills

Answer 22

• distributed practice, which involves practice sessions separated by rest periods of seconds to days, results in better learning than massed practice, which involves little or no rest between practice sessions
  –> gives time for consolidation of the memory of the task, which improves movement skill
• learning is greater when practice is followed immediately by a rest period that is quiet and relaxing than when it is followed by engagement in mentally effortful tasks
  –> quiescent effect; effortful tasks disrupt memory consolidation, resulting in a poorer memory

Question 23

explain rest in relation to the development of expert sport performance

Answer 23

The development of expertise depends on years of daily engagement in only a few hours of maximum-quality
deliberate practice followed by many hours of resting.

Question 24

explain the Eccles-Kazmier Model of the Psychology of Rest in Athletes (EKMPRA)

Answer 24

The model distinguishes between two key concepts:
1. rest level; the extent to which an athlete currently feels rested
2.process of resting; athletes conceive of feeling rested as involving a physical aspect and a mental aspect
–> primary focus on the mental aspect
Compared to poorly rested athletes, rested athletes feel fresh, they value their sport, feel more motivated and apply more effort.
An athlete’s level of mental rest is increased via engagement in a process of resting, which encompasses (a) sleep and (b) resting while awake. Wakeful resting comprises six psychological experiences, called resting experiences.

Question 25

what are the 6 resting experiences

Answer 25

Resting experience 1: Getting a break from always thinking about one’s sport
- focus on subject unrelated to one’s sport
- avoiding cues that remind one of the sport
Resting experience 2: Getting a break from any kind of effortful thinking
- low-demand activities/physical environments/social environments
Resting experience 3: Getting a break from feeling life is controlled by one’s sport
- planning ahead to create “me time”
Resting experience 4: Getting a break from the monotony of the daily routine
- switching up normal routine
Resting experience 5: Being able to catch up on important work tasks
- scheduling time and protecting it
Resting experience 6: Being able to have a personal life outside of one’s sport
- scheduling time and protecting it

Question 26

what are 5 reasons why rest has been overlooked

Answer 26

• There is a natural tendency to focus on action over
  inaction.
• Competition outcomes (e.g. goals) apparent as
  direct consequences of physical actions.
• Rest occurs covertly, making it challenging to
  research.
• Rest is considered as simple and self-explanatory.
• Rest is undervalued at cultural and societal levels

Question 27

what are 5 principles for consideration on rest and recovery

Answer 27

1. Recovery does not just involve recovering physically; it involves recovering mentally.
2. Providing physical rest days (i.e. a break from physical training) does not guarantee athletes the mental rest they need (e.g. stopping thinking about sport).
3. Athletes can achieve the mental rest they need if they have the time, and can obtain the social and physical environmental conditions, required for high-quality (a) sleep and (b) wakeful resting. 4. High-quality wakeful resting involves specific resting experiences.

Question 28

explain the difference between micro- and macro-level recovery

Answer 28

micro-level recovery = involves athletes’ rejuvenation amidst actual training and competitive situations
macro-level recovery = regeneration after training or competitions during non-sport time