Athlete Fatigue and The Overtraining Syndrome
At some point, all athletes experience fatigue. Under regular circumstances, an athlete will be fatigued after a tough practice or game, and they will recover within a few hours. During this recovery time, the muscular and cardiovascular systems adapt through improving efficiency of the heart, increasing capillaries in the muscles, and increasing glycogen stores and mitochondrial enzyme systems within the muscle cells. All of these adaptations result in a higher level of performance.
Coaches expect a lot out of their athletes, and sometimes two-a-days are unavoidable. Conditioning involves a combination of work overload and recovery, so you should expect to be tired after a few days of overload practices. However, when sufficient rest is not taken by an athlete, regeneration cannot occur. When insufficient rest periods continue (over a few weeks or more), performance will decline and overtraining syndrome may become present. Overtraining can be dangerous if it occurs. It takes a toll on the physical and mental health of the athlete, leading to a higher likelihood of injury and other issues.
Symptoms of Overtraining:
Feeling washed-out, tired, or drained for multiple consecutive days
Insomnia
Irritability
Headaches
Decreased Immunity (Getting sick more often)
Decreased training capacity (lowering intensity)
Depression
Decreased appetite
Causes of Stress and Fatigue
Inadequate rest periods (This includes sleep time and workout recovery time.)
Inadequate nutrition
Dehydration
Mental stress or anxiety
How to Combat Stress and Fatigue
1. Sleep
Get 8-9 hours of sleep each night. Your body needs this time to restore fuels and regenerate.
2. Drink Water
Dehydration will run you down very quickly. The average person needs about a half- gallon a day to stay fully hydrated. If you're working out and sweating often, you may need closer to a gallon of water a day.
3. Eat
Food supplies nutrients to your muscles and organs. Carbohydrates will give you energy to use. If you are working out for at least an hour a day, you should increase your caloric intake by 300-800 calories / day.
4. Allow your muscles to rest
When it comes to building muscle or athletic ability, more is not always better. Your muscles need to rest in order to regenerate. If you continually break them down without allowing 1-2 days of rest per week, your results will plateau and possibly decline.
5. Limit your stress
Make your goals attainable, rid yourself of negative influences, and don't take on too much. Mental stress can be just as exhausting as physical stress. Set your priorities and work on time management.