Day 16: Researching the effects of Ramadan fasting on physical performance (Part 3)
It's Thursday evening and I am definitely feeling fatigued. My working week and parental duties have taken their toll and I am ready for 24 hours rest at the weekend after my coaching sessions are complete on Saturday morning.
I can only imagine how much harder this is for professional muslim athletes in Britain who have to engage in training as normal in sports such as football, basketball and athletics. Even writing this post was a real struggle that took me at least two hours longer than it should have done.
My research in to the sub-topic of fatigue as one of the main effects of fasting on physical performance is going to be specific to the disruption to sleep experienced by everyone who fasts during the holy month. I am going to address the following questions in the remainder of this post; how much sleep do athletes need? How does Ramadan impact on sleep? What can athletes and coaches do to manage the potential impact of reduced sleep quality during Ramadan?
It has previously been shown that athletes who follow habitual 8-hour sleep patterns, can boost performance in key areas specific to their sport when deliberately increasing sleep to 10 hours. In the research carried out by Mah et al (2011; cited by Roky et al, 2012) university basketball players voluntarily increased their sleep by 2 hours a night for 5-7 weeks. It was reported that sprinting and all basketball skill-specific markers improved during the period of extended sleep. Athletes were also to shown to be more alert and have improved mood. This led the researchers to conclude that sleep satiety was highly important and likely to have a positive affect on athletic importance (Roky et al, 2012).
I certainly haven't been getting anything close to 10 hours sleep during Ramadan - or in fact any time in my life before Ramadan either! Typically I will sleep for 6-7 hours a night, often preferring to wake at 5 to complete my workout and give me more time in the evening for more leisurely pastimes or business activites. During Ramadan I have been struggling to achieve 6-7 hours. Most nights I am asleep for 1AM, waking at 2AM now this week to drink water, and waking around 6AM or 7AM. I have been napping in the afternoon where I can, but this is rarely a concentrated period of sleep, and usually a bunch of brief naps sewn together. I would agree with Chaouachi et al (2009), when they stated that Ramadan can cause partial sleep deprivation; I really feel that I am experiencing that as the week nears a close.
It is generally understood within sport and physical performance that sleep deprivation is not conducive to performing at the highest level in any activity (Chaouachi et al, 2009). Roky et al (2012) suggest that studies conducted in non-athletic settings have shown that sleep deprivation and reduced quality of sleep is more prevalent during Ramadan. Roky et al (2012) also suggest that the majority of athletes in sports such as football, power lifting and running reduce sleep each day between 30-60 minutes. This would suggest that athletes engaged in these sports are more likely to suffer a negative effect on performance as a result of reduced sleep time and sleep quality (Chaouachi et al, 2009). This is supported by Chtourou et al (2019) who reported results that showed reduced sprint performance in athletes during Ramadan. These athletes also had reduced total sleep during testing.
In concluding discussions specific to recommendations for coaches and athletes to manage sleep during Ramadan, it has been suggested by Roky et al (2012) that sleep schedules should be individualised for all athletes affected by fasting. It is recommended that sleep schedules for athletes should be planned in advance of fasting commencing and tailored to ensure that they acquire at least 7-8 hours within a 24-hour period. It's important to note that this states within a "24-hour period", because many athletes will choose to wake during the night eat and hydrate, as I have been doing, which further disrupts sleep quality and reduces total sleep time.
Napping has been very important to me during Ramadan, and Roky et al (2012) agree that naps should be planned during the day from anywhere between 30-90 minutes, depending on the day-to-day needs of the athlete. It is also recommended that athletes do not partake in vigorous activity in the first hour post-nap, as they may still be drowsy. Personally, I have spent at least 30 minutes after my naps this week trying to drag myself out of bed to get my workout done before Iftar, so I would definitely support Roky et al (2012) in this recommendation.
The final recommendation from Roky et al (2012) seems fairly obvious, but it is recommended that training intensity is reduced where necessary based on the sleeping habits specific to any individual athlete. As Ramadan has progressed this month, my sleep pattern has changed constantly, as I push back my alarm for Sehri from 330AM at the start, to 2AM now that we are half way through. This has seriously impacted my first few hours of sleep. I have certainly reduced my training intensity as a result of this.
This post concludes this three-part focus on the effects of Ramadan on physical performance. I hope it hasn't been too yawn-enducing for you to read! I am sure there is more research available that I could have used that may have presented slightly different findings or more original insights, but I don't have all the time in the world during Ramadan to conduct such detailed research.
I am inbetween meals on Day 16 and am looking forward to my 5-6 hours of disrupted sleep tonight, waking for water at 2AM!
Has my physical performance been affected during Ramadan been affected? Abso-flipping-lutely!
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