#536: Improving Sleep in Combat Sports Athletes – Ian Dunican, PhD

Sigma Nutrition Radio

Danny Lennon

Sigma, Dietetics, Evidencebased, Nutrition, Training, Health & Fitness, Science, Diet, Fitness, Evidence, Bodybuilding, Health

4.8 • 626 Ratings

🗓️ 17 September 2024

⏱️ 76 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the world of combat sports, optimizing performance extends beyond physical training and nutrition—sleep plays a critical role. Maladaptive sleep behaviors, such as inconsistent sleep schedules and inadequate sleep duration, can significantly impair an athlete’s performance by reducing cognitive function, reaction time, and recovery ability. Understanding these impacts is crucial for athletes and coaches seeking to enhance performance through more effective sleep strategies.

One of the key challenges combat sports athletes face is managing the effects of shift work and irregular event timings, which often conflict with typical training schedules. What are some strategies to mitigate these challenges, such as adjusting sleep schedules in advance? And what are the implications of jet lag for athletes traveling to major competitions?

While technology offers valuable tools for tracking sleep, there are potential drawbacks, including reliance on inaccurate data or the psychological effects of constant monitoring. By educating athletes and coaches on best practices for sleep, they can make informed adjustments to training regimens, ultimately enhancing overall performance.

In this episode, sleep scientist Dr. Ian Dunican discusses his work related to understanding and improving sleep behaviors in combat sports athletes.

Timestamps:

01:43 Introduction to the Episode
04:38 Discussion on Recent Research Paper
09:52 Sleep Behaviors in Athletes
13:11 Questionnaire and Study Findings
20:38 Common Sleep Disorders in Athletes
33:23 Impact of Training Schedules on Sleep
34:25 Practical Tips for Better Sleep
41:17 Phases of Training and Their Importance
42:31 Understanding Chronotypes and Sleep Habits
45:19 Wearable Devices and Sleep Tracking
53:05 Practical Advice for Coaches and Athletes
59:03 Travel, Jet Lag, and Sleep for Athletes

Links:

Enroll in the next cohort of our Applied Nutrition Literacy course
Go to episode page (with links to studies in this episode)
Dr. Dunican's course (20% off with code MELIUS20)
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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everyone. Before getting into this episode, I wanted to give you a quick reminder that as of
0:04.5	right now, and for just over a week from the publication of this podcast, the enrollment for the
0:10.2	second cohort of applied nutrition literacy, the course on advanced critical appraisal of
0:16.5	nutrition studies that Dr. Alan Flanagan and I have developed is currently open.
0:23.3	So this is our second ever cohort.
0:29.2	Enrollment window is open, like I said, for just over another week, and that will close on September the 27th.
0:32.2	And then the course materials will be available for module one from Sunday the 29th of September. So that'll be the
0:39.5	official start date of the course for this particular cohort. And so you have until the 27th,
0:46.7	it's just over about a week and a half from now, as of the release of this episode, depending on
0:51.5	when you're listening, of course. And if you are interested in getting more details of exactly what is in the course, how it might be able to
0:57.7	help you, a full syllabus outline, all of that is linked in the description box where you're
1:03.0	currently listening right now. Or at the end of this episode, I'll give you a bit more information.
1:08.1	But if you are interested in being able to read and interpret and
1:11.7	understand nutrition research and go through studies for yourself in detail, then I think this
1:17.8	will be of utility for you. So that is all in the description box right now. You can click
1:23.2	through and check that out and I'll give more details later. But for now, let's get into this
1:28.8	week's episode. Hello and welcome to Sigma Nutrition Radio.
1:45.7	This is episode 536 of the podcast.
1:49.6	You are very welcome.
1:50.9	My name is Danny Lennon.
1:52.6	And today I'm going to be talking with Dr. Ian Dunnickin,
1:55.7	who is a leading expert in sleep science and performance.
	...

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