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New York Times cover story: Seattle Seahawks rely on Fatigue Science for performance edge

Seattle Seahawks rely on Fatigue Science for performance edge | New York

Fatigue Science was the talk of New York—and the entire NFL—during a recent east-coast west-coast clash between the New York Jets and the Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks’ predictive fatigue monitoring program using Fatigue Science was featured on the front page of the New York Times. The story examines sleep in the NFL and the innovative work of Seahawks’ director of player health and performance, Sam Ramsden. And on the heels of that story, the Seattle Seahawks travelled across the country to soundly defeat the New York Jets at home.

“I always thought that sleep was overrated, and I had to kind of be knocked in the head to understand,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told the Times. “Like so many things, once it gets on the radar screen, it makes sense and you ask, why didn’t we pay attention before?”

About 40 players on the 53-man Seahawks roster will wear the Fatigue Science Readiband  to monitor fatigue throughout the entire NFL season, up from 20 just a few years ago. New York Times reporter Ken Belson was on hand for the deployment of Fatigue Science’s new predictive fatigue monitoring program and the Readiband 4, interviewing players and coaches about the importance of sleep in the NFL.

New York Times | Seattle Seahawks

Read the entire story about the NFL and Fatigue Science on A1 of the New York Times.

Interested in learning more about data-driven fatigue management?

or for a comprehensive overview of the scientific link between sleep and athletic performance, download our free Science of Sleep eBook. 

Sleep habits of the world’s most elite athletes: Tom Brady

Sleep habits of the world’s most elite athletes: Tom Brady

Simply put, a good night’s sleep can mean the difference between winning and losing in professional sports. It should come as no surprise then that Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, arguably the best quarterback in the history of the NFL, knows his stuff when it comes to getting his shuteye. And we simply couldn’t resist sharing this look at the sleep habits of one of the world’s most admired professional athletes. Okay, it’s not the Journal of Neuroscience or Scientific American, but we all need to have a little fun here and there, right? So the folks at Parade Magazine got inside Tom Brady’s bedroom and we think it’s worth a look. Here’s an excerpt:

Parade: Why is a good night’s sleep so important to you?

Tom Brady: Well it’s got to be a priority. I think sleep is so important because I break my body down so much with my sport. It’s the only place to get the recovery that I need. After the kids go to bed I’m right behind them and, whenever they wake up, is usually when I wake up. I’m hopefully asleep by 9 o’clock. During the season, I’d say even earlier, usually 8:30 p.m., and I’m up at 5 or 5:30 on most mornings. I’m usually early to bed early to rise.

Read the entire interview about Tom Brady’s sleep habits.

Learn more about successful sleep habits and professional athletes.

Circadian factors in athletic performance

A new study published in the December issue of the Journal of Sleep has looked at the impact of circadian factors on athletic performance in NFL football players and concluded that those “playing close to the circadian peak in performance demonstrate a significant athletic advantage over those who are playing at other times.”

The researchers acknowledge that even small variations in performance can mean the difference between winning or losing in professional sports and concludes that applying the knowledge of circadian factors is an underused approach which “is likely to enhance human performance”

Knowing that circadian factors may help your team achieve optimal performance is just part of the equation, how you apply this information is another. Using Readiband to understand a team or athlete’s actual sleep and FAST (Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool) to model game-time performance, trainers and athletes can get the most out of, or more importantly, create their own ‘circadian advantage’.

 

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The study, which is titled: “The Impact of Circadian Misalignment on Athletic Performance in Professional Football Players” was published in the December 2013 Journal of SLEEP. You can view the abstract or download the full study.