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  • 🏆 Team USA Athletes Define Sports Research Future; ⚽ Sleep Duration in Soccer Linked to Menstrual Symptoms

🏆 Team USA Athletes Define Sports Research Future; ⚽ Sleep Duration in Soccer Linked to Menstrual Symptoms

Author

Haresh Suppiah
August 29, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Welcome, science enthusiasts.

In today’s edition:

  • Team USA athletes prioritise menstrual health, recovery, and mental health.

  • Menstrual symptoms affect sleep in elite soccer players.

  • Decline in elite athlete performance after age 30.

  • Lasting impacts of COVID-19 on elite athletes’ well-being.

  • Force-time analysis reveals keys to powerful tennis serves.

  • Heat-related risks for athletes at Paris 2024.

  • Safe return-to-play strategies for postpartum rugby players.

  • Menstrual cycle impacts on strength performance and fatigue.

  • And several more…

FEATURED ARTICLES 🌭

The details:

  • Methodology: A three-round modified Delphi survey was conducted with 40 Team USA female athletes to prioritize research topics based on their health and performance needs.

  • Results: The final list identified 14 key topics, with the top five being menstrual cycle symptoms, recovery, birth control, mental health, and fueling related to the menstrual cycle.

  • Innovation: This study represents the first effort to co-construct a research agenda with elite female athletes, centering their perspectives in sports medicine and exercise science research.

  • Application: The topics identified can guide future research, policy changes, and practices to better support female athletes’ health and performance needs.

Why it matters:

The findings from this study highlight the crucial need to center the voices of female athletes in sports science research, ensuring their unique health and performance needs are addressed. By identifying key topics such as menstrual cycle symptoms, mental health, and the effects of institutionalized sexism, this research has the potential to reshape training practices, policy development, and funding in female sports. Ultimately, this shift towards an athlete-informed approach can facilitate better health outcomes for female athletes and contribute to a more equitable sports environment.

The details:

  • Methodology: Sleep was monitored for 25 to 31 nights using activity monitors and sleep diaries in 12 elite female soccer players experiencing natural menstrual cycles.

  • Results: Sleep duration was positively correlated with menstrual cycle symptoms, with an increase of 21 minutes per symptom reported, and sleep duration also increased with the day of the menstrual cycle.

  • Interaction: A negative interaction between the day of the cycle and reported symptoms indicated that as symptoms increased, the influence of the cycle day on sleep duration diminished.

  • Insights: Only sleep duration was significantly affected by menstrual cycle variables, with no notable changes in sleep efficiency or subjective sleep quality.

  • Application: Monitoring menstrual cycle symptoms is recommended to potentially improve sleep characteristics and overall performance in elite female athletes.

Why it matters:

The findings of this research highlight the significant impact that menstrual cycle symptoms can have on sleep quality and duration in elite female athletes, indicating a need for tailored training and support strategies. By understanding how these symptoms correlate with sleep patterns, coaches and health practitioners can optimize performance and recovery strategies, which is crucial in a high-stakes athletic environment. Recognizing the interplay between hormonal cycles and athletic performance can also promote greater awareness and better management of women’s health issues in sports, ultimately leading to improved well-being and performance outcomes.

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