Sleep and nutritional profile of endurance and ultra-endurance running athletes

Abstract

Sleeping and eating before and during an ultramarathon can directly affect an athlete's performance, who may also have their physiological adaptations and recovery process hindered by sleeping problems. Endurance and ultra-endurance athletes may have different sleep and nutrition profiles. Thus, this study aimed to describe the sleep profile (during preparation) and nutritional profile (during competition) of endurance (10-20km) and ultra-endurance (50-100km) running athletes. For this, 16 healthy volunteers answered questionnaires related to sleep quality (Pittsburgh sleep quality index), chronotype (morningness-eveningness questionnaire), and sleepiness (excessive daytime sleepiness questionnaire). Immediately after a competition, a form prepared by the research team about nutritional variables and volunteers' food records during the competition was applied. According to test scoring criteria (Pittsburgh sleep quality index >5; sleepiness >10), endurance running athletes showed low sleep quality. In addition, all athletes showed consumption of carbohydrates and lipids below the recommended, but excessive consumption of proteins. A positive association between sleepiness and sodium intake in endurance runners was observed (r=0.862; p=0.027). Sleep efficiency and race time showed a negative correlation only for ultraendurance athletes (r=-0.834; p=0.039). The data obtained show that endurance athletes presented more sleep pattern alterations, however, endurance and ultra-endurance athletes showed inadequate nutritional consumption during the competition.

Exploring the Evolutionary Disparities: A Case Study on the Psychophysiological Response to Recreating the Hunter–Gatherer Lifestyle through Physical Activity and Caloric Restriction

“…Evidence shows that sleep loss is associated with decreased performance in multi-day ultraendurance tests [30]. Furthermore, sleep deficiency is linked to a depletion of muscle glycogen stores, impairing muscle recovery and increasing the prevalence of injuries [31]. Therefore, reduced sleep efficiency could be a key factor contributing to increased pain perception and decreased performance in the fasting participant.…”

Effective Ultramarathon Pacing Strategies on Road and Trail: A Narrative Review

“…A footrace that covers a distance larger than 42.195 kilometres and normally takes longer than six hours in duration, is referred to as an ultramarathon [1]. The competitors face challenges such as extreme tiredness, cramps, dehydration, and starvation as they compete over a variety of terrain, including tracks, trails, mountains, deserts, and coastal plains [2,3]. Since the first "Comrades Marathon" in 1921, ultramarathons have experienced meteoric growth [4,5].…”

Sleep Health, Individual Characteristics, Lifestyle Factors, and Marathon Completion Time in Marathon Runners: A Retrospective Investigation of the 2016 London Marathon

“…Previous research has implicated individual characteristics, such as age and sex, as well as lifestyle factors, such as caffeine consumption and overall diet, on endurance runner performance [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. However, despite the well-established relationship between sleep health and athletic performance [ 6 ], the influence of sleep health on endurance runner performance is understudied, with the majority of the existing literature performed in ultramarathoners (50 km to 160 km races) [ 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”