Effects of early or late-evening fatiguing physical activity on sleep quality in non-professional sportsmen.
BACKGROUND
This study aims to understand whether night sleep-quality is distorted by fatiguing physical activity (PA) when conducted early or late in the evening.


METHODS
Nine males (18-38yrs) performed sessions of fatiguing-PA over 3 consecutive days (Mon-Wed), for 2 weeks. One week the PA was performed at 17h, and in the other week at 21h. A Control-week included no PA (PAABSENT). The fatiguing-PA sessions comprised several sets of the 20m Shuttle-Run-Test (20mSRT). Sleep was assessed by actigraphic recordings acquired over three nights each week. It included the nights following the PA-sessions and the same days in the week of PAABSENT. Sleep-quality perception was evaluated by mean of the National Sleep Foundation-Sleep Diary. The heart-rate (HR) and body-temperature (BT) at bed-time and waking-up were also registered.


RESULTS
Neither the 20mSTR-estimated VO2max nor the number of maximal 20mSRT sets were different in the PA17h and PA21h sessions. Compared to the PAABSENT, the PA17h and PA21h sessions increased the HR at bedtime, which recovered to baseline level after the night of sleep. BT was also reduced when waking-up compared to bed-time, but this was also observed in PAABSENT. Sleep parameters measured by means of actigraphy were not modified by fatiguing activity when compared to PAABSENT. Nevertheless, the subjective perception of sleep-quality was negatively altered by fatiguing PA.


CONCLUSIONS
Fatiguing PA performed early or late at the evening has no impact on objective sleep-quality but, subjectively, a deterioration of sleep-quality is perceived by the subjects.
Neuroscience and Motor Control Group (NEUROcom), Faculty of Health Sciences, INEF-Galicia, and Faculty of Physiotherapy, Universidade da Coruña and Institute of Biomedical Research of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain - pabloarias.neurocom@udc.es.
Pablo
P
Arias
Elena
E
Madinabeitia-Mancebo
Miguel
M
Santiago
Yoanna
Y
Corral-Bergantinos
Veronica
V
Robles-Garcia
D056044:Actigraphy; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001831:Body Temperature; D015444:Exercise; D005221:Fatigue; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D005082:Physical Exertion; D012890:Sleep; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult