Melatonin ingestion after exhaustive late evening exercise improves sleep quality and quantity, and short term performances in teenage athletes
ABSTRACT The present study aimed to explore the effects of a single 10 mg dose of melatonin (MEL) administration after exhaustive late evening exercise on sleep quality and quantity, and short term physical and cognitive performances in healthy teenagers. Ten male adolescent athletes (mean SD, age 15.4 0.3 years, body mass 60.68 5.7 kg, height 167.9 6.9 cm and BMI 21.21 2.5) performed two test sessions separated by at least one week. During each session, participants completed the Yo Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (YYIRT 1) at ~20:00 h. Then, sleep polysomnography was recorded from 22:15 min to 07:00 h, after a double blind randomized order administration of a single 10 mg tablet of MEL (MEL 10 mg) or Placebo (PLA) The following morning, Hooper wellness index was administered and the participants performed the Choice Reaction Time (CRT) test, the Zazzo test and some short term physical exercises (YYIRT 1, vertical and horizontal Jumps (VJ; HJ) Hand grip strength (HG) and five jump test (5 JT) Evening total distance covered in the YYIRT 1 did not change during the two conditions (p 0.05) Total sleep time (D 24.55 mn; p 0.001) sleep efficiency (D 4.47% p 0.001) stage 3 sleep (N3 sleep) (D 1.73% p 0.05) and rapid eye movement sleep (D 2.15% p 0.001) were significantly higher with MEL in comparison with PLA. Moreover, sleep onset latency (D 8.45mn; p 0.001) total time of nocturnal awakenings after sleep onset (NA) (D 11 mn; p 0.001) stage 1 sleep (N1 sleep) (D 1.7% p 0.001) and stage 2 sleep (N2 sleep) (D 1.9% p 0.05) durations were lower with MEL. The Hooper index showed a better subjective sleep quality, a decrease of the subjective perception of fatigue and a reduced level of muscle soreness with MEL. Moreover, MEL improved speed and performance but not inaccuracy during the Zazzo test. CRT was faster with MEL. Morning YYIRT 1 (D 82 m; p 0.001) and 5 JT (D 0.08 m; p 0.05) performances were significantly higher with MEL in comparison with PLA. In contrast, HG, VJ and HJ performances did not change during the two conditions (p 0.05) The administration of a single dose of MEL 10 mg after strenuous late evening exercise improved sleep quality and quantity, selective attention, subjective assessment of the general wellness state, and some short term physical performances the following morning in healthy teenagers.
Chronobiology international