Doctor Nguyen Huy Hoang, a member of the Vietnam Association of Underwater and Hyperbaric Oxygen Medicine, said that playing pickleball late at night will throw your biological rhythm out of sync, and that is actually when your body is "borrowing strength" from the next day.
Disruption of biological rhythms, risk of injury when playing sports late
Doctor Hoang analyzed that night is the time when the body cools down, relaxes and begins to secrete substances that help to enter deep sleep. But playing sports late at night completely disrupts this process: the heart is still fast, the muscles are still tense, the stadium lights make the body "think" it is daytime.
If this condition persists, you will see small but unpleasant disorders: difficulty sleeping, waking up easily in the middle of the night, feeling heavy-headed in the morning, feeling sleepy or irritable during the day. Shallow sleep makes you easily fall into a state of "out of breath" the next morning, your mind is not sharp and your performance at work or playing sports is poor.
Some girls even crave sweets more than usual – a common sign of sleep deprivation. Just 3-5 nights like that will cause the body to lose form very quickly, and the waist will get bigger.
"Mental fatigue is the most dangerous thing. Not sleeping deeply for many consecutive days will make your spirit decline, you will easily get angry, you will have difficulty concentrating and your reflexes will be slow. This is also the reason why many people who play late for several sessions in a row often feel their performance decrease," Dr. Hoang shared.
In addition, lack of sleep or fatigue causes slow reflexes, poor posture and unstable technique. Injuries therefore increase significantly, especially when we meet a worthy opponent at the end of the session.
The Achilles tendon and ankle are the first two vulnerable areas. Frequent changes in direction, sudden braking, or landing incorrectly when tired can easily cause them to strain or sprain. The knees are also under a lot of stress from constant twisting, jumping, and lowering.
Shoulders, elbows, and wrists often hurt from smashing when the shoulder muscles are already tired. Uncontrolled swings can cause long-term inflammation. The lower back often strains from bending or twisting too much when the body is already tired.
The common point is: technique “falls off” as you get tired, and most injuries happen from seemingly simple moves.
Avoid risks when playing sports late
If you can’t change your schedule, change your routine. Even if you arrive late, the most important thing is to warm up to loosen up your joints and wake up your nervous system.
"Everyone should spend about 10 minutes rotating the joints from the neck to the ankles, then jogging, lifting the thighs or doing light jumps. The risk of muscle strain, missteps or incorrect rotations will definitely decrease, especially in the first 30 minutes," said Dr. Hoang.
The Achilles tendon, knee joint, and shoulder are the three most vulnerable areas, so you need to maintain simple exercises such as slow heel raises, shoulder exercises with resistance bands, and leg squat-lunges. No need to go heavy, just consistent. After a few weeks, you will find yourself turning more smoothly, stepping more firmly, and smashing more confidently.
Especially note, if you finish playing late, you need to cool down before going to bed. Many people finish playing and go straight home to lie down, but the body is "hot" at that time and cannot rest suddenly. If you want to sleep faster and deeper, you need to give your body a transition period.
A slow walk for a few minutes from the yard to the parking lot is also a way to lower your heart rate, then do 5-10 minutes of static stretching and focus on slow breathing to calm your body. These steps alone will help you fall asleep much easier.
Some tips that can help you sleep more comfortably are soaking your feet in warm water for a few minutes and limiting drinking too much water right before bed.
Exercising late at night causes your body to burn more energy than you think, while your stomach is lazy to digest at midnight. Therefore, a post-workout smoothie is the optimal choice: light, easy to digest, but still nutritious enough for recovery.
Dr. Hoang suggests some suitable foods such as: Bananas, oatmeal, a little yogurt or almond milk with protein. This way helps the muscles to be "recharged" gently without making the stomach heavy. If you want to eat more, you can choose walnuts or almonds because they help the body relax and sleep easier (rich in magnesium, tryptophan, increase melatonin synthesis).
If you use a smartwatch, when tracking the indicators, just look at your resting heart rate, sleep quality or stress level to know whether your body is "alarming" or not. If you see these indicators are bad for 2-3 consecutive days, you need to immediately reduce the intensity or take a break.
Of course, how you feel is just as important. If you wake up feeling heavy, your legs feel like wood when you get out of bed, or your mind feels sluggish – these are clear signs that you’re overtraining.
A pickball schedule of 3 sessions/week with a day off is most suitable for late players. The days off help the nerves recover, so that the next day on the field, you feel “smoother”.
Dr. Hoang recommends that if possible, playing pickleball should end before 9 p.m. The body needs time to cool down, regulate its biological rhythm and prepare for deep sleep.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/bac-si-chi-cach-khong-bi-pha-suckhi-choi-pickleball-toi-muon-post924420.html
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