How Time Change and Travel Negatively Impact Performance
by Melinda Burris

This article examines the impact of time change and travel and the negative effects it can have on the body in terms of alertness and response time due to the disruption of the body’s natural biological clocks and the circadian rhythms that send important cues to the body about when it is time for exertion and when it is time for rest. While time change and travel across time zones can be disorienting for everyone as many find their bodies struggle for at least a few days to adjust, athletes who travel for away games do not have the luxury of time to allow their internal clock to resynchronize before competition commences.

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What Are Circadian Rhythms and How Do They Affect Your Biological Clock?

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), “Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle.”1 Circadian rhythms are natural processes that affect not just humans but the majority of living things including animals, plants and even microbes.1 Our internal biological clocks work to “[regulate] the cycle of circadian rhythms.”1

Although often used in the singular tense, the body does not have just one biological clock. Rather, there are numerous biological clocks throughout the body as biological clocks exist in almost every tissue and organ. This collection of biological clocks impacts every moment of our waking and sleeping moments because every organism’s biological clocks are comprised of protein molecules that work on a cellular level throughout the body.1 Within the hypothalamus section of the brain, there is what scientists refer to as the human body’s “master clock”, a cluster of approximately 20,000 nerve cells or neurons that make up a bilateral structure known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN).1 “The SCN ensures that all the biological clocks within the body work in tandem to balance the circadian rhythm cycle and direct our daily behavior and bodily functions.

While circadian rhythms affect numerous vital body processes from hormone release to our dietary habits and digestion, the effect of circadian rhythms and the confusion that is caused when they are out of balance is most apparent when our natural sleep pattern is disrupted. The SCN, the body’s master clock, relies on information from the optic nerves to tell it when it is day or night. When the eyes register darkness, the brain triggers the release of melatonin to induce sleep.1

Jet lag and time changes confuse the body because you are active when you would normally be sleeping. The SCN receives signals from your optic nerves that they are communicating light and other external stimuli instead of being at rest. Constant travel and the jet lag that accompanies it can lead to insomnia and other sleep disorders as well as other serious health conditions including depression, seasonal affective disorder, obesity and diabetes.

So, the question arises, how does jet lag and disruption to circadian rhythms affect athletes and their ability to perform at optimal levels?

Revelations in the Wake of the COVID Pandemic 

The COVID pandemic has made us reexamine almost every facet of our lives and society, and the world of competitive sports has not been exempted. Athletes of all levels, from enthusiast to professional, routinely travel for local, regional, national and international competitions. Global and cross-country travel can mean crossing multiple time zones which as has been discussed, can disorient the circadian rhythms of the body, impeding the performance of a team of athletes who must travel to compete in a competition or game and possibly giving the home team that does not have to deal with the effects of travel what is popularly known as the “home-court advantage.”2

In a December 2020 article for Scientific Reports, researchers McHill and Chinoy contend that when the NBA was forced to pause its season in mid-March 2020 due to COVID mandates and then recommenced play in August of that year by bringing the top 22 teams to one location, Orlando, Florida, to play eight games to conclude the 2020 regular season, they created the perfect conditions for a natural experiment on the effects of travel on play performance and the veracity of home-court advantage.2 McHill and Chinoy set about comparing performance in those final 2020 season games held in what the NBA referred to as a “bubble” in Florida to stats from the regular season before COVID caused the league to temporarily suspend play.

The study reveals that travel and its effects have a detrimental effect on the away team’s performance. McHill and Chinoy’s findings demonstrate that “traveling across time zones reduces winning percentage, team shooting accuracy, and turnover percentage, whereas traveling, in general, reduces offensive rebounding and increases the number of points the opposing (home) team scores.”2 The study concludes by observing a scenario like the NBA’s Florida “bubble” levels the competitive playing field because it eliminates any team being the “away” team. As McHill and Chinoy note, statistics show that teams who travel suffer from shooting inaccuracy and poor rebounding. The phenomenon is real although the exact cause of it cannot be pinpointed. The research suggests it could be a result of circadian rhythm disruption, fatigue caused by travel, or a combination of the two.2

Tips for Helping Your Body Acclimate to Time Change 

As it stands, travel and the discomforts that often accompany it are a part of competitive sports. It is wise to recognize this and take steps to minimize its negative impact on your performance.

Here are some tips for dealing with time change and jet lag recommended by Dr. Roberto Manfreidini, Chair of Internal Medicine at University and General Hospital, Ferrara, Italy:

1. Strategically plan meals to recalibrate your master biological clock.3
2. For breakfast, choose a high-protein, low-carb meal. This will elevate your level of alertness and help you stave off fatigue.3
3. For your evening meal, partake of foods that are high in carbohydrates and low in protein. Carbs frequently cause sleepiness and can help you get a good night’s rest.3

The International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS) has done extensive research on the subject and offers the following recommendations:

1. FIMS researchers stipulate that when you eat is just as important as what you eat when adjusting to a time change. They suggest doing an 8-12 hour fast and then eating in the morning to cue the body that it is time for breakfast.3
2. FIMS emphasizes that making sure you are exposed to strong, natural light is one of the most effective ways of helping your body’s internal clocks catch up to an earlier time zone.3
3. Lastly, morning exercise gets the body going and cues the brain that it is day and time for activity.3

References:

1. National Institute of Health (NIH). What Are Circadian Rhythms?2. McHill, A. W., & Chinoy, E.D. (11 December 2020). Utilizing the National Basketball Association’s COVID-19 restart “bubble” to uncover the impact of travel and circadian disruption on athletic performance.

3. Davis, J. (n.d.) Jet Lag and Running Performance: How to Minimize the Effects.

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