Mental Activity, Fatigue, & Recovery
MENTAL FATIGUE is experienced by athletes after extended periods of MENTAL ACTIVITY and can be managed by engaging in MENTAL RECOVERY.
There are psychological, biological, and physiological changes that occur when an athlete experiences mental fatigue.
Types of mental fatigue
Planned
Increasing the load of mental activity on purpose, as part of a periodised plan, can be helpful when the aim is to achieve a training adaptation in preparation for competition or the competition season.
Unplanned
When mental activity is increased due to changing demands of life, training, travel, and competition which is common for athletes, mental fatigue can accumulate when left unmanaged.
What do we know about mental fatigue in sport?
Signs
SIGNS of mental fatigue reported by elite athletes & staff.
- change in behaviour
- motivation
- emotion
- disengage
- enthusiasm
- complex
- concentration
- tiredness
- emotional
- withdraw
- attention to detail
- non-physical fatigue
- physical output
- accountability
- mentally hard
- increased effort
- mistakes
- discipline
- individual
- sympathetic
- effort
- awareness
- increased process time
- active/full brain
- tired
- sore
- distraction
- hard to detect
- inhibition
- exhausted
- engagement
- decreased motivation
- over-reaching
- going through the motions
- not related to pain
- enjoyment
- cognition
- frazzied
- perceived
- performance
- psychological
- energy
- body language
- fine motor skills
- energy
- not switch off
- care factor
- inability
- sleep
- hazy
- less efficient
- overloaded
- lack of clarity
- down-regulate
- focus
Belief
Athletes and Staff BELIEVE that mental fatigue can negatively influence performance.
Reasons
REASONS for mental fatigue reported by elite athletes & staff
- repetitive
- personality
- individual
- other commitments
- professionalism
- environment
- information overload
- not switching off
- over-analysis
- game nature
- schedule
- communication
- emotion
- perceptions
- touring
- concentration
- interaction
- performance outcome
- sleep
- sponsorship
- media
- staff cohesion
- meetings
- analysis
- long duration
- experience
- intellectual athlete
- studying
- distractions
- inexperience
- back of mind
- prolonged
- instructions
- barometer
- family
- continuous demands
- lack of comfort
- contract
- duration
- organisation
- intensity
- monotony
- over-thinking
- boredom
- long pre-game activity
- familiarity
- sensory overload
- study
- lack of recovery
- upbringing
- multifaceted
- timing
- broad
- off-field
- variability
- training load
- diet
How does mental fatigue impact athlete performance?
Physical
Evidence indicates a clear negative impact on endurance-based tasks. Mixed evidence exists around ‘all-out’ maximal strength, power and anaerobic tasks.
- Decreased time to exhaustion.
- Decreased self-selected power output.
- Increased completion time. Example, Cycling (time-trial, time to fatigue), Swimming (100m, 200m, 1500m), and Running (3km, 5km, Yo-Yo IRT, beep test).
- Decreased distance covered during small-sided games.
- Decreased resistance training volume completion.
Evidence indicates a clear negative impact on endurance-based tasks.
Perceptual
Evidence indicates mental fatigue can impact perceived exertion.
- Increased rating of perceived exertion during exercise performance.
- Reduced willingness to exert effort during an upcoming session.
Evidence indicates mental fatigue can impact the ability to interpret the senses.
Technical
Evidence indicates mental fatigue can impair technical aspects of sport-specific performance.
- Decreased altered movement synchronisation Example - offensive utility accuracy & team dispersion in football.
Evidence indicates mental fatigue can impair technical aspects of sport-specific performance.
Tactical
Evidence indicates mental fatigue can influence tactical behaviour of athletes.
- Decreased decision making. Example - turnovers in basketball.
- Decreased accuracy Example - passing or shooting accuracy in football.
- Increased mistakes Example - false starts in athletics and faults in tennis.
Evidence indicates mental fatigue can influence tactical behaviour of athletes.
How will we learn more about mental fatigue?
Knowledge and understanding
Using a global survey we will gain understanding of what practitioners are currently doing to monitor and manage mental activity, fatigue and recovery in their athletes.
Evaluating current practice will allow us to identify opportunity to advance practitioner and athlete knowledge and daily practice.
Using educational tools we can develop the knowledge of practitioners and athletes around mental activity, fatigue, and recovery in relation to their sport.
Measurement
Using well-designed research protocols we can evaluate potential biological, physiological, behavioural and subjective markers of mental activity, fatigue and recovery.
This information can be used to provide athletes and staff with a way to monitor mental activity, fatigue, and recovery during training and competition.
Interventions and management
Provide best practice knowledge and strategies so athletes can independently monitor and manage mental activity, fatigue, and recovery through phases of training, competition and rest annually.
The ultimate aim is to be mentally ready and perform best when it matters most.
Research team
The Australian Institute of Sport and the Australian Catholic University Sports Performance, Recovery, Injury and New Technologies (SPRINT) Research Centre have partnered to provide the National High Performance Sports System with evidence-based information on mental fatigue and mental recovery.
Suzanna Russell
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Mental Fatigue and Recovery, Sports Performance, Recovery, Injury and New Technologies (SPRINT) Research Centre
Suzy Russell is a postdoctoral research fellow investigating mental fatigue and recovery in partnership with the Australian Institute of Sport. In 2020, Suzy completed her PhD, titled ‘Mental Fatigue in Elite Sport’ at the University of Queensland in partnership with the Queensland Academy of Sport and Netball Australia. Prior to this, Suzy undertook a Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science, where her Honours project investigated hydration and physiological strain in V8 Supercar drivers. Having held various research positions working with novel recovery technologies in both elite athletes and clinical populations, Suzy has a strong interest in improving athletic performance, particularly in team sport.
Suzy is an Accredited Sports Scientist with Exercise and Sports Science Australia, and has previously worked as a performance analyst with the Queensland Firebirds and Brisbane Lions. Suzy continues to engage with research that works to improve training and competition practices in elite athletes with a focus on mental fatigue and recovery.
Research Profile, opens in a new tab
Shona Halson
Deputy Director & Recovery Program Lead, Sports Performance, Recovery, Injury and New Technologies (SPRINT) Research Centre
Professor Shona Halson from ACU’s School of Behavioural and Health Sciences has been a mainstay of Australia’s high performance sport network. She was the Head Recovery Physiologist at the Australian Institute of Sport from 2002 to 2018 and has been a part of three Olympic campaigns with the Australian Olympic Committee. Professor Halson was named as one of Exercise and Sport Science Australia’s three Female Leaders in Exercise and Sports Science on International Women’s Day 2019. Her research focuses on recovery, fatigue and sleep and she has published over 130 peer-reviewed articles and multiple book chapters. Shona has a particular interest in maximising recovery and monitoring and improving sleep in elite athletes.
Shona is an Editor for the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, is co-chair of Exercise and Sport Science Australia’s (ESSA) Research to Practice 2020/2021 Conference and is a member of ESSA’s Research Committee. Shona also provides consultancy services to the Australian Open Tennis Tournament and Nike as part of the Nike Performance Council and she is a trusted advisor to countless elite teams and athletes both in Australia and internationally.