The Introduction of Yoga Recovery on Physiological and Psychological Stress and Performance in Ncaa Athletes
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University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Graduate School Professional Papers 2018 The nI troduction of Yoga Recovery on Physiological and Psychological Stress and Performance in NCAA Athletes Paige D. Schober Let us know how access to this document benefits ouy . Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Recommended Citation Schober, Paige D., "The nI troduction of Yoga Recovery on Physiological and Psychological Stress and Performance in NCAA Athletes" (2018). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 11141. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/11141 This Professional Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE INTRODUCTION OF YOGA RECOVERY ON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND PERFORMANCE IN NCAA ATHLETES By Paige Schober B.S. Kinesiology The University of Illinois Champaign, Illinois Professional Paper Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of: Master of Science In Health and Human Performance, Exercise Science The University of Montana Missoula, Montana Committee Members John Quindry, Ph.D., Chair Health and Human Performance Charles Palmer, Ed.D. Health and Human Performance Laura Dybdal, Ph.D. Health and Human Performance Brandon Ronan, M.S. University of Montana Athletic Performance Director i Abstract THE INTRODUCTION OF YOGA RECOVERY ON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND PERFORMANCE IN NCAA ATHLETES Paige Schober University of Montana NCAA student athletes face unique physiological and psychological stressors daily, which may contribute to overtraining, burnout, and other physical and mental health issues. However, NCAA institutions often leave recovery up to the individual athlete due to time restriction and Countable Athletic Related Activities (CARA) hour limitations on team mandated activities. Attention to methods to promote recovery from these training loads is increasing in NCAA institutions. A mind-body activity such as yoga is proposed to have physiological and psychological benefits for student athletes. The goal of this review is to identify which aspects of yoga promote the most effective recovery in measures such as: performance, physical biomarkers of stress, muscle damage, heart rate variability, sleep quality, mood state, anxiety, and depression. A recovery yoga protocol is presented, based on the current literature on the topic, to suggest a time- and cost-effective mind-body recovery modality for NCAA student athletes. The recommendation of this review concludes that, among other approaches, NCAA athletes are ideal candidates to undertake the practice of a yoga-based relaxation technique. As such, initial incorporation of yoga is recommended for 20 minutes twice weekly, with a third 60- minute practice each week for a more integrated mind-body yoga experience. From the literature, there is a scientific rationale to understand and anticipate physiological effects such as decreased muscle soreness, heart rate variability, and oxidative stress and psychological effects of improved mood, decreased anxiety, and depression in terms of yoga efficacy. Based on this rationale, introduction of yoga-based recovery is likely to improve some aspects of academic and athletic performance, as well as overall greater wellbeing upon completion of the recommended intervention. However, well-founded conclusions are tentative because explicit mechanistic research is sparse. Accordingly, outcomes based research is needed to confirm the extent to which introduction of these recovery-based approaches will benefit yoga novices. ii Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Introduction 1 Problem 3 Purpose 4 Significance 4 Definition of Terms 4 Chapter 2: Review of Literature 6 Stress and Performance 6 Physical Stress 7 Psychological Stress 10 Need for Effective Recovery 11 Yoga as a Recovery Modality 12 Physiological Benefits of Yoga 14 Psychological Benefits of Yoga 15 Chapter 3: Methodology 18 Review Focus and Method 18 Findings from the Literature 18 Design of Recovery Yoga Protocol 28 Implementation in NCAA Institutions 30 Conclusions 30 Recommendations for Future Research 31 Concluding Thoughts 32 References 33 Tables & Appendices 43 Table 1 44 Table 2 45 Appendix A iii Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction In today’s “better, faster, stronger” society, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes are a highly stressed population. Collegiate athletes manage a difficult balance of hours-long sport practices, elite level competitions, intense weight lifting and conditioning sessions, lengthy film review sessions, acute injury treatment, rigorous course work, erratic travel schedules, and social pressures from coaches, teammates, and family experiences. All beginning at 18 years of age. Not only does this type of lifestyle cause great physical stress, but it has psychological impacts as well. For many athletes, the volume and intensity of training and student athlete life distract from the true goal of training, which is to increase performance. [1]. The overtraining principle relies on the body’s ability to break down and adapt to the stresses it has experienced, assuming the body undergoes a complete recovery process. The number of athletes who are overtraining and accrue insufficient rest is increasing [2]. Inadequate physiological and psychological recovery from daily training loads may lead to overtraining and underperformance [3]. Effective recovery is crucial for athletes; it is necessary for their health, safety and balance in combating physical and mental stress. While decreasing training intensity and volume may not be an option, athletic programs should seek alternative ways to assure adequate reoperation for their athletes by providing modalities for recovery, both physiological and psychological, from the high stress and training loads of a busy athletic lifestyle. Novel approaches to improve the physical and mental interconnectedness, and the recovery thereof, are being sought in the realm of collegiate athletics and need to be further explored. Physical health and recovery are prioritized in athletics, but increasing attention is now directed towards psychological recovery and mental health of college athletes [4]. Repercussions of poor psychological recovery consist of depression, anxiety, burnout, and unhealthy coping strategies like substance abuse or sleep disorders [5]. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 40 million people over the age of 18 are affected by anxiety on some level. Athletes with healthy amounts of anxiety or arousal can utilize psychological skills training to help them focus, concentrate, and perform. However, athletes that exhibit trait anxiety, or anxiety that overarches situations, may suffer from an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders have negative effects on athletic performance by impacting the ability to concentrate 1 and focus, primarily through distraction by physical and psychological symptoms. Athletes experiencing anxiety disorders attend to negative affects instead of positive [4]. For athletes experiencing symptoms of anxiety, practicing a modality that connects mind and body may regulate the level of arousal, and potentially mitigate mental and physical symptoms of anxiety disorders [6]. A mind-body activity such as yoga would be beneficial for all athletes to keep them performing in the optimal zone of arousal. Therefore, activities that interface the recovery of mind and body need to be implemented in collegiate athletics. Unfortunately, NCAA institutions often leave recovery up to the individual athlete due to time restriction and Countable Athletic Related Activities (CARA) hour limitations on team mandated activities. Therefore, recovery is often overlooked, minimized, or deemphasized due to the other pressing demands athletes face. However, recovery is an extremely important part of an athlete’s training protocol consisting of physical recovery from acute training loads and mental recovery from daily pressures and expectations from themselves and those around them. Having an appropriate outlet for recovery can make the difference between success and failure in sport [7]. Because athletes encounter demanding physical and mental situations, a recovery modality that combines mind and body needs to be considered. There are numerous modalities that provide acute effects of recovery for athletes such as cold tub emersion or soft tissue massage therapy, however, in order to combat the physical and mental aspects of stress together, there needs to be an interface between the mind and the body [5] and sometimes the spirit [8]. The rationale exists that many different modalities can be beneficial for athletes’ recovery when used appropriately. However, this project focuses on the most prevalent modality for recovery that encompasses various aspects of health and wellness: yoga. With growing popularity in the Western world, approximately 86% of all health clubs in the United States offer yoga practice [9]. In efforts to move away from pharmaceuticals in treatment for mental health conditions such as anxiety, yoga is studied as an alternative treatment [6]. Research has revealed