Immediate Effects of Overnight Long-Haul Travel on Physical and Cognitive Performance and Sleep in Professional Male...

Travel can disrupt sleep and reduce perceived recovery in athletes. While the impact of travel on physical performance has been studied, its effect on cognitive performance remains unexplored.

This study investigated the consequences of overnight long-haul travel on physical (part I) and cognitive performance (part II) in professional rugby players traveling overseas for competition.

In part I (n = 24), vertical-jump performance was assessed across 5 mornings surrounding travel (HOME, TRAVEL, and AWAY 1, 2, and 3). In part II (n = 24), mental fatigue and psychomotor vigilance (defined as the ability to respond to stimuli effectively) were assessed across 3 days (HOME, TRAVEL, and AWAY 1). Sleep was monitored on all nights preceding performance assessment using activity monitoring.

Compared with HOME, TRAVEL reduced sleep quantity (part I. -219 [112] min; part II, -334 [233] min; both P < .001) and elevated in-flight mental fatigue (part II, +12 [18]; P < .05). Psychomotor vigilance was impaired during TRAVEL (+8% [6%] in valid response latencies ≤500 milliseconds; P < .001), and reactive jump strength was reduced at AWAY 1 (-7% [10%] in drop jump; P < .001). While psychomotor vigilance was restored by AWAY 1 (after hotel sleep), reactive jump strength remained diminished until AWAY 3 (-12% [9%] in drop jump compared with HOME; P < .001) after travel.

For teams traveling on long-haul journeys overnight for competition, it is recommended to arrive more than 3 days before matches to enable sufficient physical and cognitive recovery at the new destination to optimize performance away from home.