Placebo Caffeine in Soccer Players: Effects on Physiological Markers and Perceived Sleep Quality

Year 2024, Volume: 13 Issue: 2, 938 - 946, 29.06.2024

Ezel Güneşer , Fırat Akça , Ulaş Can Yıldırım

https://doi.org/10.37989/gumussagbil.1410867

Abstract

Not all questions regarding the physiological and psychological effects of caffeine have been answered yet. However, it is understood that athletes experience varying effects on physiological markers and sleep quality due to caffeine. This study aimed to examine the alterations in aerobic capacity and perceived sleep quality among football players when exposed to different doses of placebo gum. Twenty-two male players from an amateur football team (average age: 23,36 ± 5,4 years, height: 180,14 ± 6,9 cm; weight: 76,32 ± 10,2 kg; BMI: 23,51 ± 2,8 kg/ m2) participated voluntarily, and the study was designed as a randomized, crossover, single-blind trial. Following the ingestion of placebo gum for 5 minutes, the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (Yo-Yo IRT-1) was immediately conducted on the football players. Subsequently, participants were asked about the impact of the gum on their performance after each Yo-Yo IRT-1 trial. The morning after each testing day, the Richard-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ) and Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) were administered to all participants to assess potential changes in their sleep patterns. Ultimately, no significant differences were observed in aerobic capacity and sleep quality data when the placebo was utilized. Consequently, it can be concluded that placebo caffeine did not affect the perceived sleep quality or aerobic capacity among amateur football players.

Keywords

soccer, caffeine, placebo, sleep quality, aerobic performance

Futbolcularda Plasebo Kafein: Fizyolojik Belirteçler ve Algılanan Uyku Kalitesi Üzerine Etkileri

Abstract

Kafeinin fizyolojik ve psikolojik etkileri hususunda tüm sorular henüz yanıtlanamamıştır. Fakat sporcuların farklı fizyolojik belirteçler ve uyku kalitesine etkileri bilinmektedir. Bu çalışmada, futbolcularda aerobik kapasite ve algılanan uyku kalitesinde plasebo sakızının farklı dozları kullanıldığında oluşan değişikliklerin incelemesi amaçlanmıştır. Amatör futbol takımından 22 erkek oyuncunun (yaş:23,36 ± 5,4 yıl boy: 180,14 ± 6,9 cm; VA: 76,32 ± 10,2 kg; BKI: 23,51 ± 2,8 kg/m2) gönüllü olarak katıldığı araştırma rastgele, çapraz-döngülü, tek kör olarak planlanmıştır. 5 dakika çiğnemeleri istenilen plasebo sakızını çıkarttıktan hemen sonra futbolculara Yo-Yo Aralıklı Toparlanma Testi Seviye 1 (Yo-Yo IRT-1) uygulanmıştır. Katılımcılara her Yo-Yo IRT-1 denemesinden hemen sonra ‘’Sakız performansınızı nasıl etkiledi?’’ sorusu yöneltilmiştir. Her test gününden sonraki sabah tüm katılımcıların uykularında oluşabilecek değişikliklerin gözlenmesi için Richard-Campbell Uyku Ölçeği (RCSQ) ve Karolinska Uykululuk Ölçeği (KSS) uygulanmıştır. Aerobik kapasite ve uyku kalitesi verilerinde plasebo kullanıldığında istenilen yönde anlamlı bir farklılık görülmemiştir. Sonuç olarak, plasebo kafein amatör futbolcularda algılanan uyku kalitesinde ve aerobik kapasitede etkili olmamıştır.

Keywords

futbol, kafein, plasebo, uyku kalitesi, aerobik performans

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