Travelling

Travel and Athletic performance information sheet

International athletes are frequently crossing multiple time zones in order to compete at events around the world. Rapid air travel across several time zones exposes the athlete to a shift of his/her internal body clock. This de-synchronisation of the internal body clock is called jet-lag. Jet lag can negatively influence athletic performance; therefore it is important that athletes are aware of these symptoms. For each journey across multiple time zones, athletes, coaches and support team need to work out a strategy to reduce the symptoms of jet lag.

The symptoms of Jet Lag:

• Fatigue
• Disorientation
• Insomnia
• Loss of appetite
• Stomach distress
• Prolonged reaction time
• Decreased short term memory
• Decreased concentration
• Higher injury rates
• Reduction in anaerobic power and capacity
• Reduced dynamic strength

It is well known that westward flights are followed by faster recovery than eastward flights, and sleep quality decreases particularly after eastward flight. NASA has suggested that it can take one day for every time zone crossed to regain normal rhythm and energy.

Some athletes have reported that they were able to decrease this to a few days by following some of the points listed below

Minimising Jet-lag: Strategy before and during travel

• Get seven to eight hours of sleep the night before travel
• Adjust your watch to the new time zone when you board the plane
• Stay well hydrated during the journey
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine and eat light, healthy snacks during long trips
• Use earplugs to block out noise during sleep
• When on the plane, stay as active as possible. At regular intervals perform easy stretches at the back of the plane, walk up and down the aisle
• In day time flights it will be necessary to stay awake, keep mentally active and perhaps watch the in-flight movie.

Minimising Jet lag: Strategy on arrival

• Natural light exposure is the best method to accelerate the re-adjustment of the body clock. The key is to tune in straight away to the external influences of the new environment
• The last meal prior to the time allotted for sleep should be high in carbohydrates and low in protein in order to induce drowsiness. Carbohydrates provide the substrate for serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates sleep. Caffeine and a low-carbohydrate high-protein breakfast would help raise the level of arousal and prevent a relapse into sleep.
• There is some evidence that exercise on the day of arrival may help to re-adjust to the new time zone. However, it should be noted that training session should not be all out efforts. Skills requiring fine co-ordination are likely to be impaired which could lead to accidents and injuries.

Useful Links

http://www.sportsci.org/encyc/jetlag/jetlag.html
http://www.ausport.gov.au/fulltext/1999/nsw/women_travel.pdf
http://bjsm.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/36/1/54
http://www.olympics.org.uk/Library/boa_pdf/Travelling%20Athlete.pdf

Further reading

Manfredini et al. (1998). Circadian rhythms, athletic performance and jet lag. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 32; 101 - 106

Reilly, T. (1998). Travel: Physiology, jet-lag, strategies. In: Encyclopaedia of Sports Medicine and Science, T.D. Fahey (Editor). Internet Society for Sport Science: http://sportsci.org. 12 July 1998