Sleep tips to survive the Rio Olympics coverage

A Deakin University expert in sleep-wake cycles has offered some tips for Australian viewers wanting to stay up late for must-watch events at the Rio Olympics.

Associate Professor Mark Stokes from Deakin’s School of Psychology explained that sleep is an important part of an athlete’s training and preparation.

“Sleep is important for as we all know, we cannot perform at our best when we are tired or weary,” Associate Professor Stokes said.

“Sleep is really important for recovery and studies have shown that a good sleep can improve speed, accuracy and reaction time.”

With many Olympic events taking place in the afternoon or late at night in Rio to accommodate prime time viewing in the United States, many athletes have been working on strategies to shift their sleep schedules.

This is particularly true of the Australian swimming team, which will be competing in late afternoon heats with gold medals to be decided between 10pm and midnight in Rio to accommodate prime-time viewing in the United States.

According to Associate Professor Stokes, there are a few tips the average punter may be able to take from athletes’ sleep strategies to help minimise the impact of late nights spent catching up on the Olympics action live or via catch up TV and endless streaming services.

1. Move your sleep-wake cycle to a later point to minimise disruption to your circadian rhythm

Leading up to Rio, many athletes have been moving their sleep-wake cycle to a later point to minimise disruption to their circadian rhythm.

“Basically, this involves trying to regularise the circadian rhythm by getting up later and exposing yourself to sunlight later than you normally would,” Associate Professor Stokes explained.

“For swimmers, who are notoriously early risers, this could mean waking at 7.30 or 8am rather than 5.30 or 6am and then only exposing themselves to light at that point.”

2. Increase your exposure to light later in the day

Athletes would have been trying to increase their exposure to light in the evenings as this will lengthen their circadian rhythm.

“The aim is to make your body respond like the days are longer and occurring later, which helps you to adjust to later bed and waking times,” Associate Professor Stokes said.

“For our athletes in Rio, this could mean taking a walk in the brightly lit city streets in the early evening.

“Here at home, you could try increasing your exposure to artificial light from the TV, iPad or smart phone screens in the evenings.”

3. A sleep debt doesn’t need to be repaid in full

For most adults, staying up late a few days in a row is not a big issue. The hardest part tends to be the next day, when they have incurred a sleep debt. A sleep debt will leave you feeling tired, like you need more sleep.

“Unfortunately, a sleep debt is not easily reconciled by sleeping more. If you think that staying up and sleeping in will fix it, it won’t,” Associate Professor Stokes said. 

“Sleep debts are not linear – if you stay up two hours later than normal for five days in a row, you can’t recover by sleeping an extra 10 hours, although a big sleep in may be welcome.

“The good news is that if you can’t afford a big sleep in, you will still be fine after a few normal sleeps. One or two good sleeps should be enough to get you back on track after a few late nights in a row.”