Student Blog 01: Sleep, the Menstrual Cycle, and Performance in Female Athletes
Andrew McGeever is 3rd Year PhD Student at Atlantic Technological University, Donegal. he is interested in all things related to maximizing performance and wellbeing of elite athletes.
In his spare time, Andrew plays basketball in the Irish Superleague for Pyrobel Killester and is also currently the Assistant Coach for the Ireland U20 Women’s basketball team.
“My research project examines how the sleep, performance, and menstrual cycle of female athletes are associated with each other. With the incredible growth in the popularity of female sports and the expected greater retention of female athletes in sports, the research focusing on female physiology needs to advance in both quantity and quality.
Sleep, the menstrual cycle, and performance have all been bidirectionally linked in previous research (e.g. sleep may be impacted by the presence of menstrual cycle symptoms but may also impact reproductive function). The menstrual cycle can have negative impacts on athletes perceived readiness to compete and impact the general wellbeing of the athlete in terms of their energy levels and comfortability, especially within the premenstrual and menstruation phases.
One of the most important factors that can affect an athlete’s readiness is their recovery through sleep. Sleep has been associated with many aspects of performance, with sleep loss being linked to negative implication for both physical and cognitive performance. Sleep can be negatively impacted by the menstrual cycle both during the days surrounding menstruation and midcycle around the time of ovulation. One of the possible causes of sleep disturbance is core body temperature fluctuations, which could explain midcycle disturbances, with the presence of menstrual cycle symptoms (e.g. headaches, nausea, cramps etc.) possibly accounting for disturbances around menstruation.
The research to date has consisted of monitoring these variables in elite athletes over multiple menstrual cycles, to examine any associations that may be present. The study aims to be the first of its kind to examine the sleep, menstrual cycle, and performance of female athletes longitudinally and characterise the associations between these variables.
One of the goals of the research will be to advise on the efficacy of a sleep intervention in improving both the menstrual symptoms severity and performance of elite female athletes. This research aims to add to the existing body of literature in the fields of female athlete physiology and sleep in athletes. Hopefully, this research will help to continue opening the dialogue between athletes, coaches, and other practitioners around the menstrual cycle and how it may impact the performance and/or recovery of female athletes.
If you wish to get in touch with Andy you can find him here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmcgeever/
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Andrew-Mcgeever