Gold, silver or bronze: circadian variation strongly affects performance in Olympic athletes.

ABSTRACT: The circadian system affects physiological, psychological, and molecular mechanisms in the body, resulting in varying physical performance over the day. The timing and relative size of these effects are important for optimizing sport performance. In this study, Olympic swim times (from 2004 to 2016) were used to determine time-of-day and circadian effects under maximal motivational conditions. Data of athletes who made it to the finals (N = 144, 72 female) were included and normalized on individual levels based on the average swim times over race types (heat, semifinal, and final) per individual for each stroke, distance and Olympic venue. Normalized swim times were analyzed with a linear mixed model and a sine fitted model. Swim performance was better during finals as compared to semi-fin

SUBMITTER: Lok R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7544825 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature