Recovery & Sleep Notes

Understanding Recovery

  • Homeostasis: Balance in the body.

  • Stress: Disrupts homeostasis.

  • Recovery: Restoring homeostasis.

  • Acute stress + recovery = healthy adaptation.

  • Inadequate recovery = compromised homeostasis, increased risk of injury/illness.

Overtraining Symptoms

  • Decreased performance.

  • Increased resting heart rate/blood pressure.

  • Decreased body weight/appetite.

  • Disturbed sleep.

  • Muscle soreness, irritability, reduced motivation.

Overtraining Solutions

  • Deload: Reduce load/volume/rate.

  • Offload: Stop activity.

  • Redirect: Cross-train at lower intensity.

Nutrition for Recovery

  • Prioritize energy balance, macronutrients, micronutrients, hydration, nutrient timing, supplements.

  • Energy availability = energy intake - energy expenditure.

  • Carbohydrates: Primary energy source. Intake varies with intensity (Low: 3-5 g/kg BW, Moderate: 5-7 g/kg BW, High: 6-10 g/kg BW, Extreme: 8-12 g/kg BW).

  • Protein: Stimulates muscle protein synthesis; 1.6-2.0 g/kg BW or 0.25-0.5 g/kg BW/meal (4 meals).

  • Hydration: Enhances blood flow, reduces pain. Consume 150% of fluid lost.

Monitoring Training and Recovery

  • Monitor nutrition, hydration, muscle status, endurance, injury risk, inflammation.

Types of Recovery

  • Immediate: Between repetitions.

  • Short-term: Between sets.

  • Training: Between workouts/competitions.

Aiding Recovery

  • Resting heart rate (RHR)

  • Heart rate variability (HRV)

  • Ventilation (breathing patterns)

  • Active recovery, massage, compression, cryotherapy, hydrotherapy, sleep.

Active Recovery

  • Light activity to remove lactate/hydrogen, stimulate blood flow.

  • Faster return to homeostasis than passive recovery.

Massage

  • May decrease soreness, improve circulation.

  • Timing is crucial; avoid immediately post-exercise.

  • Increase muscle activation and proprioception and reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)

Compression

  • Alleviates fatigue/soreness, reduces stiffness.

Cryotherapy

  • Reduces muscle temperature, inflammation, and pain.

  • Lacks influence on muscle repair.

Hydrotherapy

  • Water immersion affects heart rate, blood flow, temperature, inflammation.

  • Techniques: cold, hot, contrast immersion.

Sleep

  • Improves memory, mood, immune system.

  • Reduces cravings.

  • Prevents diseases.

Sleep Physiology

  • NREM (deeper sleep stages) and REM (dreaming) cycles.

  • Cycle lasts ~90 minutes.

Natural Sleep Drives

  • Homeostatic sleep drive: Increases with wakefulness, adenosine accumulation.

  • Circadian rhythm: Sleep-wake pattern, reset by light, activity, eating.

Sleep and health

  • Poor sleep: stress, hallucinations, impairs decisions.

Sleep Disorders

  • Insomnia: trouble falling/staying asleep.

  • Restless leg syndrome (RLS): uncomfortable sensations in legs.

  • Sleep apnea: breathing stops during sleep.

Improving Sleep

  • Support natural rhythms, create good environment, avoid disruptors, treat conditions.