Jet Lag Doesn't Discriminate, It Impacts Traveling Athletes Equally

Rugby player making a tackle

No matter the sport or the home country, many professional athletes traveling across time zones struggle with consistent quality sleep, according to research published by Public Library of Science (PLOS) in February 2022.

Four professional Super Rugby teams, two from New Zealand and two from South Africa, were studied (all male, n=122, age range 18–35 years old) and research suggested travel across time zones had a substantial negative effect on players’ wellness. Although eastward travel is generally seen as more detrimental than westward travel, wellness decreased for all teams when traveling overseas, regardless of the direction, and tended to improve upon return.

Travel was associated with substantial sleep deprivation for three of the teams when overseas, which can be explained by travel fatigue, jet lag and a disruption of the normal sleep habit (sleeping in a non-familiar environment and sharing room with a teammate). Travel fatigue may have had a greater impact on sleep during the flight and the first night upon arrival. After the first night, sleep disruption is due mostly to jet lag, as a full night of rest is usually enough to recover from the effects of travel fatigue.

Players from "Team A" (the one team out of four that did not experience sleep deprivation), slept more than normal while overseas. This team also had the lowest mean sleep at home, and therefore a lower sleep baseline. According to information reported by the coaching staff, this team scheduled home training early in the morning, and players had to wake early to commute to the training facility. Apparently, travel away from home provided players in this team with an opportunity to catch up on sleep loss.

Takeaway:

Travel fatigue is a formidable adversary for high performers across all sports, from rugby to olympic sports and everything in between. Careful approaches must be taken by athletes and coaching staffs to combat its effects. With planning and a consultative approach, with tools and resources to support the athlete, the extent to which travel fatigue impacts athletic performance and recovery may be reduced.

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