HPR Relevant Press
Below you will find articles supporting the ‘Recovery’ phase of our High Performance Routines from reputable sources
Select another phase below to find relevant research papers, and tips for that phase.
The effects of prior light history on the suppression of melatonin by light in humans
When u expose yourself to daily low light intensity, like the kind of dim lighting in most indoor environments, it significantly INCREASES MELATONIN SUPPRESSION at night if u are exposed to night time artificial lighting. The test group who got outside and was exposed to bright sunlight many times during the day did not have nearly as much melatonin suppression at night.
The sleep-circadian interface: A window into mental disorders
Disruptions in sleep quality, continuity, and timing can trigger or worsen psychiatric symptoms, and vice versa.
The performance and psychological effects of goal setting in sport: A systematic review and meta-analysis
High-performing athletes consistently ask themselves one thing before practice:
What can I do to get better today?
And one thing after practice:
What did I get better at today?
This focus on the process leads to the largest boost in performance.
The relationship between leisure activities and psychological resources that support a sustainable career: The role of leisure seriousness and work-leisure similarity
What they found: There’s a reason that research finds that Nobel prize winning scientists tend to have more hobbies than those who are good but not quite great scientists. In this study, they researchers looked at how leisure activity impacts our work. What they found is that leisure activity boosts work self-efficacy, potentially helping us perform better in our day jobs. But there was an important caveat. It wasn’t just about having a hobby, the impact of workplace self-efficacy was highest when people took their hobby serious and it was different enough from their actual work. In other words, if their hobby was too similar to their work, it actually hurt work self-efficacy.
What it means: Common advice tells us to get obsessed about something to be great at it. Be the football coach who only loves all things football. Well…research might point us in another direction. In this case, we need activities and hobbies that are different. Activities that allow us to turn our brains away from whatever it is we do during our day job. Diversify your experiences and pursuits.
The effect of acute sleep extension vs active recovery on post exercise recovery kinetics in rugby union players
What they found: In this study, researchers compared sleep versus easy aerobic activity (Think: an easy jog or bike ride for an athlete), in rugby athletes. They found that sleep extension had a faster recovery in cognitive performance, but aerobic activity led to quicker neuromuscular function and autonomic recovery.
So What? It’s important to note that this was a small study looking at a single nights sleep. But it does provide something novel and useful. If you need to get ready for game or big performance, of course you should prioritize sleep, but you shouldn’t neglect some easy aerobic exercise. Perhaps this is the reason why so many runners go for an easy shakeout jog the morning before a race?
Association between dinner-bedtime interval and type 2 diabetes mellitus: a large-scale cross-sectional study
Is there an optimum time to eat dinner to reduce the risk for Type 2 Diabetes? This study on 7000+ adults found eating dinner 3h or longer before bedtime is associated with reduced risk for type 2 Diabetes.
Blue-Enriched Morning Light as a Countermeasure to Light at the Wrong Time: Effects on Cognition, Sleepiness, Sleep, and Circadian Phase
In addition to making you more alert during the day, improving your mood and sleep, the blue in bright morning sunlight acts as a countermeasure or antidote to some of the damaging health effects of artificial light at night.
It doesn’t give you a free pass to use artificial light at night without bad health effects, but it reinforces your circadian system so that exposure to a blast of artificial light at night doesn’t hurt you as much.
Brief Morning Exposure to Bright Light Improves Subjective Symptoms and Performance in Nurses with Rapidly Rotating Shifts
Brief morning light exposure preceding a day shift is effective in improving performance during the day, sleep at night and reducing fatigue for the preceding two weeks in nurses working shifts.
The multitasking framework: the effects of increasing workload on acute psychobiological stress reactivity
Multitasking is associated with higher blood pressure, more anxiety and can lower your mood by as much as 26%
Unraveling the interplay of circadian rhythm and sleep deprivation on mood: A Real-World Study on first-year physicians
Longer wakefulness leads to a statistically significant decline in mood (p<0.001)
Neural Population Dynamics Underlying Motor Learning Transfer
Mental rehearsal improves performance
Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation
Morning daylight will help to lift the mood, reduce stress and improve cognitive function
Vacation Days Taken, Work During Vacation, and Burnout Among US Physicians
Physicians who take few vacation days each year are more likely to face burnout
Stress Management Strategies For Students The Immediate Effects Of Yoga, Humor, And Reading On Stress
30 minutes of reading is as stress relieving as yoga or watching your favourite comedy film.
Associations between Sleep, Cortisol Regulation, and Diet: Possible Implications for the Risk of Alzheimer Disease
The risk of dementia and sporadic/late-onset Alzheimer Disease is strongly associated with lifestyle factors. In particular, diet, sleep quality, and circadian cortisol regulation.
Positive Effects of Nature on Cognitive Performance Across Multiple Experiments: Test Order but Not Affect Modulates the Cognitive Effects
Interactions with natural environments and nature-related stimuli have been found to be beneficial to cognitive performance, in particular on executive cognitive tasks with high demands.
Why intense light can protect cardiovascular health
Studies show that intense light can protect against heart attacks and increase metabolism.
Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration: A prospective cohort study
Sleep regularity, the day-to-day consistency of sleep–wake timing, can be a stronger predictor for some health outcomes than sleep duration.
The Negative Effects of Travel on Student Athletes Through Sleep and Circadian Disruption
Travel can cause misalignment of internal rhythms, resulting in lower performance, reduced cognition, poor memory storage, and poor emotional regulation.
Circadian rhythms and inflammatory diseases of the liver and gut
Lack of daylight can lead to problems with the liver and gut.
Health as Human Capital in Entrepreneurship: Individual, Extension and Substitution Effects on Entrepreneurial Success
An entrepreneur’s physical & mental health, along with the physical & mental health of their spouse, impacts the chance of startup success.
Timing of outdoor light exposure is associated with sleep-wake consolidation in community-dwelling older men
Reduced daytime light exposure was associated with increased sleep-wake fragmentation. Afternoon light therapy might be more efficient in consolidating sleep and wake in older adults.
High strain evening exercise disrupts sleep: Insights from a real-world examination of ~7-million nights
High strain exercise / sports late at night interrupts sleep.
Associations of timing of physical activity with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a prospective cohort study
Is the afternoon the best time to exercise?
This large study has 2 important findings:
The default network is causally linked to creative thinking
This paper shows that the brain’s Default Network is causally linked to creative thinking….