Chronotype and athletes’ performance in sports: A narrative review

Abstract

The circadian system is managed by the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is also called a master clock, and peripheral clocks spread all over the body. A complex system of neuronal, hormonal, and autonomous signals coordinates these clocks. However, this narrative review aimed to discuss the influence of circadian rhythms on the athlete’s performance, rate of perceived exertion, resynchronization, and aerobic and anaerobic exercise. An adequately timed wake-up is believed to play an essential role in an athlete’s performance. Based on the literature, chronotype appears to correlate with ratings of perceived exertion and fatigue scores, and morning types are less fatigued in the morning. When chronotype was evaluated, fatigue and vigor had time-by-group interactions. Swimmers with morning-type profiles showed lower fatigue scores before the (06:30 hour) time test than before the (18:30 hour) time test, while those with neither-type profiles had similar fatigue scores in both sessions. Vigor scores were also higher in the morning types than in the neither-types (17.9±7.1) before the morning test and (15.6±5.5) before the evening test. Studies have also shown that exercise enhances aerobic capacity based on the day. However, several reasons can lead to conflicting evidence regarding the chronotype effect on performance studies. Thus, more research is needed regarding the chronotype effect on athletes’ performance and the impact of time of day on muscle strength.