TY - JOUR
T1 - Eastward Jet Lag is Associated with Impaired Performance and Game Outcome in the National Basketball Association
AU - Leota, Josh
AU - Hoffman, Daniel
AU - Czeisler, Mark
AU - Mascaro, Luis
AU - Drummond, Sean P.A.
AU - Anderson, Clare
AU - Rajaratnam, Shantha M.W.
AU - Facer-Childs, Elise R.
N1 - Funding Information:
EF-C and DH declare they are practitioners in elite sports and currently hold part time positions with St Kilda Football Club. ERF-C is the Director of Research and Translation at the Danny Frawley Centre for Health and Wellbeing. EF-C has received research support or consultancy fees from Tempur Australia Team Focus Ltd, British Athletics, Australian National Football League, Australian National Rugby League, Collingwood Football Club, Melbourne Storm Rugby Club, Henley Business School which are not related to this paper. SR, has served as a Program Leader for the CRC for Alertness, Safety and Productivity, Australia; is a Director of the Sleep Health Foundation; has received grants from Vanda Pharmaceuticals, Philips Respironics, Cephalon, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and Shell; and has received equipment support and consultancy fees through his institution from Optalert, Compumedics, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and Circadian Therapeutics, which are not related to this paper. MÉC reports institutional grants paid to Monash University from WHOOP, Inc. and the CDC Foundation, with funding provided by BNY Mellon; and consulting fees from Vanda Pharmaceuticals (September 2019–January 2020), which are not related to this paper.
Funding Information:
JL and LM receive financial support from the Australian Government through Research Training Program scholarships. MÉC received support from the Australian-American Fulbright Foundation, with funding provided by The Kinghorn Foundation. ERF-C has received funding from the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (Australian Government, ICG000899 and ICG001546), St Kilda Football Club, and is currently supported by a SIEF Ross Metcalf STEM + Business Fellowship administered by the Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2022 Leota, Hoffman, Czeisler, Mascaro, Drummond, Anderson, Rajaratnam and Facer-Childs.
PY - 2022/6/16
Y1 - 2022/6/16
N2 - Objectives: Elite athletes are often required to travel across time zones for national and international competitions, causing frequent jet lag. The aim of this study was to examine whether the direction of travel-related jet lag is associated with performance in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and if so, to explore potential mechanisms. Methods: Ten seasons comprising of 11,481 games of NBA data from the 2011/2012 to the 2020/2021 regular season were analyzed using multi-level mixed models with one fixed factor (three levels; jet lag direction: eastward vs westward vs no jet lag) and three random factors (team, opponent, game time). Predicted circadian resynchronization rate was accounted for, and home and away games were analysed separately. Mediation analyses were performed to examine potential mechanisms. Results: Among home teams, eastward (but not westward) jet lag was associated with reduced winning (Δ (i.e., change) = −6.03%, p = 0.051, marginal), points differential (Δ = −1.29 points, p = 0.015), rebound differential (Δ = −1.29 rebounds, p < 0.0001), and effective field goal percentage differential (Δ = −1.2%, p < 0.01). As the magnitude of eastward jet lag increased, home team points differential decreased (2 h Δ = −4.53 points, p < 0.05; 1 h Δ = −0.72 points, p = 0.07). No significant associations were found between jet lag and away team performance. Conclusion: Eastward jet lag was associated with impaired performance for home (but not away) teams. Sleep and circadian disruption associated with advancing phase following eastward travel may have significant adverse consequences on performance in the NBA, particularly when recovery time is limited. Sports organisations could consider chronobiology-informed scheduling and interventions to maximise recovery and performance of their athletes.
AB - Objectives: Elite athletes are often required to travel across time zones for national and international competitions, causing frequent jet lag. The aim of this study was to examine whether the direction of travel-related jet lag is associated with performance in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and if so, to explore potential mechanisms. Methods: Ten seasons comprising of 11,481 games of NBA data from the 2011/2012 to the 2020/2021 regular season were analyzed using multi-level mixed models with one fixed factor (three levels; jet lag direction: eastward vs westward vs no jet lag) and three random factors (team, opponent, game time). Predicted circadian resynchronization rate was accounted for, and home and away games were analysed separately. Mediation analyses were performed to examine potential mechanisms. Results: Among home teams, eastward (but not westward) jet lag was associated with reduced winning (Δ (i.e., change) = −6.03%, p = 0.051, marginal), points differential (Δ = −1.29 points, p = 0.015), rebound differential (Δ = −1.29 rebounds, p < 0.0001), and effective field goal percentage differential (Δ = −1.2%, p < 0.01). As the magnitude of eastward jet lag increased, home team points differential decreased (2 h Δ = −4.53 points, p < 0.05; 1 h Δ = −0.72 points, p = 0.07). No significant associations were found between jet lag and away team performance. Conclusion: Eastward jet lag was associated with impaired performance for home (but not away) teams. Sleep and circadian disruption associated with advancing phase following eastward travel may have significant adverse consequences on performance in the NBA, particularly when recovery time is limited. Sports organisations could consider chronobiology-informed scheduling and interventions to maximise recovery and performance of their athletes.
KW - circadian disruption
KW - elite athletes
KW - NBA
KW - phase advance
KW - sleep
KW - sport
KW - time zone
KW - travel
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85133642639&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fphys.2022.892681
DO - 10.3389/fphys.2022.892681
M3 - Article
C2 - 35784873
AN - SCOPUS:85133642639
SN - 1664-042X
VL - 13
JO - Frontiers in Physiology
JF - Frontiers in Physiology
M1 - 892681
ER -