The Superbowl is almost upon us. Are you ready? If you're planning to wage, you may want to do a little more research. According to a study, the time they wake up may spell the difference between winning and losing.
A new research points out that the time they wake up does have an effect on the overall performance of an athlete. In some previous studies, they have concluded that athletes tend to perform well at night. These didn't account, however, the time they actually woke up.
This then became the premise of the current study: is there a connection between being an early riser or a night owl and their performance in the game later on?
To know the answer, the researchers had more than 110 young adults as volunteers. These were those who were considered to be engaged in competence-level sports. Their mealtimes, training, sleep/wake cycle, and other habits were closely monitored through a diary they maintained.
The researchers then chose 20 people with an average age of 20 years old and who played field hockey. One-fourth of them were deemed early risers-that is, they woke up around 7:00 a.m. and slept before midnight. Another quarter were night owls, or those who woke up by 10:00 a.m., while the others were athletes who woke up at around 8 in the morning and where thus in-betweeners. All of them had a healthy body and good fitness level.
Throughout the day, they were subjected to different tests that measured their fitness levels. Upon analysing the results, the researchers found out that those who were early risers performed at their best by noon. The in-betweeners peaked later by middle of the afternoon. The night owlers took a long time to peak they were at their best already at night, around 8 in the evening.
Aside from the differences in peak performance levels, they also differed in terms of the cortisol they had in the body. Cortisol is a stress hormone that keeps a person alert by increasing the heart rate, among others. However, it is also related to muscular function.
The study doesn't have to mean, however, that all athletes should be night owls. Rather, they may want to adjust their sleeping habits to playtimes and schedules of training.