0018 Time Zone Circadian Misalignment and Defensive Performance in Professional Hockey Article Swipe
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· 2025
· Open Access
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· DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsaf090.0018
· OA: W4410501822
Introduction Research has highlighted the impact of circadian rhythm misalignment on athletic performance in sports involving travel across time zones. Teams traveling westward often face circadian disadvantages during evening competitions, as they play at a later circadian alignment than their opponent. While previous studies have primarily focused on outcomes such as wins and losses, few have explored the effects of circadian misalignment on specific game statistics. This study investigates the influence of teams adjustment to time zones travel on the number of shots allowed to opponents. Methods Data from NHL games played between 2009 and 2021 (n = 27,642), excluding the COVID-19 season, were collected from online sources (hockey-reference.com). Travel-adjusted time zone was computed for both teams as shown in Charest et al. (2022), from which a Direction of Misalignment (westward, none, eastward) between teams was computed for each game. A one-way ANOVA was used with the Direction of Misalignment on the number of shots allowed to opponents. Results A significant effect of Direction of Misalignment was observed, F(2, 27640) = 3.26, p =.04. Teams with a circadian misalignment later than their opponents (westward alignment) allowed significantly more shots (M = 30.71) compared to teams with an earlier one (eastward alignment) (M = 30.27, p =.05). No significant difference was found between teams with a later circadian alignment and those with no difference (M = 30.39, p =.06), nor between teams with no difference and those with an earlier alignment (p =.66). Conclusion These results suggest that teams playing at a later part of their circadian alignment than their opponents allow more shots to opposing teams. This could indicate a circadian-related disadvantage that impairs defensive effectiveness on ice. Future research should investigate mechanisms to mitigate the effects of circadian misalignment in professional sports, potentially informing scheduling strategies to optimize player performance. Support (if any)
