Biological Rhythms and Exercise

The effects of circadian rhythms on human performance in general and on response to exercise in particular are a well-known phenomenon. Often after a poor night's sleep or taking a "red-eye" flight into a different time-zone, one just doesn't feel like "themselves." This book aims to provide a comprehensive account of biological rhythms and how they affect exercise. Particular attention is given to sleep, its biological function, and the consequences for exercise performance of sleep loss. There are chapters devoted to the effects of disturbing the circadian body clock, such as when multiple time zones are crossed and jet-lag experienced. The effects of nocturnal shift work and seasonal variation are also covered. The interactions between exercise and the female menstrual cycle are explained and the issue of exercise during pregnancy discussed. Finally, there is a chapter devoted to research methods in chronobiology, the scientific discipline underpinning the content of the book.

Jim Waterhouse is Senior Lecturer in Physiology at Liverpool John Moores University.