A quick summary of our latest paper follows the full-text link and abstract below…

Effects of consecutive domestic and international tournaments on HRV in an elite rugby sevens team

Rugby seven players often compete in 2-day tournaments over consecutive weekends, leaving only 5 days to recover and prepare for the next tournament. Many tournaments are held internationally, adding substantial travel demands to the already-taxing nature of the sport. We hypothesized that the added stress of travel for an international tournament may result in greater decrements in HRV relative to a local tournament.

The main findings were that despite no significant difference in match-physical demands (high speed running, total distance and sRPE), significant reductions in LnRMSSD were observed only in response to the international tournament (see figure below). Despite non-significant p values at other time-points, individual analysis showed that ~80% of the players showed meaningful reductions in LnRMSSD relative to baseline following the local tournament and on the day of travel (see bottom of figure). Thus, it seems that HRV was still affected by these events, though to a lesser magnitude than the international tournament.

The decrements in LnRMSSD at the international tournament were preceded by significant decrements in perceived sleep quality and energy levels reported on or after a chaotic travel day. The travel day involved an earlier than usual wake-time and a missed flight connection. This forced the team to complete the travel by bus, delaying their hotel arrival to 3 am.

Given that HRV is sensitive to a variety of physiological, psychological and environmental factors, we cannot say for certain that travel stress accounted for the differences in HRV responses, though it seems likely. We state: “LnRMSSD responses to the international tournament were therefore likely influenced by a combination of variables associated with, but not limited to altered sleep, a disrupted travel itinerary and the process of relocation which interacted with the physical and psychological stress associated with tournament-play.”

Differences in collision/body contact loads between tournaments may have contributed to differences in LnRMSSD responses, but were not assessed. Additionally, this was the first pair of consecutive tournaments for this team in at least six weeks, which may have served as a relatively novel stimulus. Therefore, we’re not sure if similar LnRMSSD responses would be observed when the team was re-familiarized with consecutive tournaments or when travel isn’t so hectic.