RESUMEN
AIMS: This study aims to understand whether night sleep--quality is distorted by fatiguing physical activity (PA) when conducted early or late in the evening. METHODS: Participants and Intervention: 9 males (18--38yrs) performed sessions of fatiguing--PA over 3 consecutive days (Mon--Wed), for 2 weeks. One week the PA was performed at 17h, and in the other week at 21h. A Control--week included no PA (PA ABSENT ). The fatiguing--PA sessions comprised several sets of the 20m Shuttle--Run--Test (20mSRT). Sleep was assessed by actigraphic recordings acquired over 3 nights each week. It included the nights following the PA--sessions and the same days in the week of PA ABSENT . Sleep--quality perception was evaluated by mean of the National Sleep Foundation--Sleep Diary. The heart--rate (HR) and body--temperature (BT) at bed--time and waking--up were also registered. RESULTS: Neither the 20mSTR--estimated VO 2max nor the number of maximal 20mSRT sets were different in the PA 17h and PA 21h sessions. Compared to the PA ABSENT , the PA 17h and PA 21h sessions increased the HR at bedtime, which recovered to baseline level after the night of sleep. BT was also reduced when waking--up compared to bed--time, but this was also observed in PA ABSENT . Sleep parameters measured by means of actigraphy were not modified by fatiguing activity when compared to PA ABSENT. Nevertheless, the subjective perception of sleep--quality was negatively altered by fatiguing PA. CONCLUSIONS: Fatiguing PA performed early or late at the evening has no impact on objective sleep--quality but, subjectively, a deterioration of sleep--quality is perceived by the subjects.
