In this episode with Ashley Montero, we discuss his recent paper. Sleep and mental health are important aspects of human health that work concurrently. However, sleep and mental health disorders are often overlooked and undiagnosed in sports due to the negative stigma associated with them. Evidence suggests that athletes are disproportionately affected by mental health issues and sleep problems. Internal and external pressures contribute to psychological distress. Variable competition times, travel and stress are detrimental to sleep quality. Retirement from sport can deteriorate sleep and psychological wellbeing, particularly for those who retired involuntarily and identify strongly with their athletic role. When untreated, these issues can manifest into a range of clinical disorders. 

Read the full paper: Sleep and Mental Health Issues in Current and Former Athletes: A Mini-Review https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.868614/full 

Follow Ashley on 

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-montero-9b9974182 

Twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/ashmontero_ 

Contact me at [email protected] or www.sleep4performance.com.au and check out the YouTube channel

Nicola Barclay, PhD, is a Sleep Scientist and Psychologist, with extensive experience of sleep research, research design, big data and education.  She was a Lecturer in Sleep Medicine at the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, University of Oxford from 2016 to 2021, training clinicians in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of sleep and circadian disorders. Prior to this appointment, Nicola was Associate Director of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research at Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK from 2011 to 2016. In 2011, she completed her PhD at the University of London, focussing on Quantitative and Molecular Genetic Approaches to Understanding Sleep Quality and Diurnal Preference, where she was awarded the 'Rising Researcher' award, 2011. She received a first-class honours degree in Psychology from the University of Sussex. She has more recently worked as a Data Scientist in industry, exploring the use of big data to understand trajectories of health and disease. Nicola has published over 50 peer-reviewed publications on sleep, and has extensive experience of educating clinical professionals in sleep medicine and research, as well as expertise in statistical methodologies and research study design

In this episode, we discuss Phenotypes, chronotypes and diurnal preferences

Associations between diurnal preference, sleep quality and externalizing behaviours: a behavioural genetic analysis https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20836908/

Quantitative genetic research on sleep: a review of normal sleep, sleep disturbances and associated emotional, behavioural, and health-related difficulties https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22560641/

Genetic and environmental influences on different components of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and their overlap

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20469808/

Diurnal preference and sleep quality: same genes? A study of young adult twins https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20370470/

Sustained wakefulness and visual attention: moderation by chronotype https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27624836/

Follow Nicola over at Sleep Universal https://www.sleep-universal.com/

Connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-barclay-72930227/

Twitter@NicolaBarclay

Contact me at [email protected] or www.sleep4performance.com.au and check out the YouTube channel

This is a reading of a blog posted on our Melius Consulting website entitled " Rapid Eye Movement Behaviour Disorder in Combat and Contact Sport Athletes, Implications for Athletes" 

You can read the full article with references here https://sleep4performance.com/rapid-eye-movement-behaviour-disorder-in-combat-and-contact-sport-athletes-implications-for-athletes/ 

Contact me at [email protected] or www.sleep4performance.com.au, and check out the YouTube channel

In this episode, I meet with my new friend Aaron Bezzina. I found Aaron's latest research on LinkedIn and invited him on the podcast. Aaron is a PhD candidate at the University of Newcastle and an Accredited Practicing Dietitian (APD).  In 2020 Aaron commenced his PhD candidature at the University of Newcastle, researching workplace wellness initiatives' effects on health attitudes and behaviours within the Australian resource sector. Aaron’s research interests include workplace wellness and productivity, obesity, human factors, and occupational health and safety issues.

This episode discusses Aaron's latest publication, a review on workplace wellness programs.

Bezzina A, Ashton L, Watson T, James CL. Workplace wellness programs targeting weight outcomes in men: A scoping review. Obes Rev. 2022 Apr;23(4):e13410. doi: 10.1111/obr.13410. Epub 2022 Jan 25. PMID: 35076133.

Then we go in-depth into one of Aaron's studies investigating health and wellness in mining. Aaron found that self-reported height and weight measures indicated that less than 20 percent (18.9%) of participants were in a healthy BMI range, while there were effectively equal numbers of overweight (40.9%) and obese (39.1%) participants. Only 3.5% of participants met the daily recommendation for vegetables (5 serves), and shift workers had a greater association with elevated BMI than non-shift workers. Poor nutrition is likely to be a key component in elevated levels of overweight and obesity within this industry, with workplace factors compounding challenges workers face in implementing health behaviour change. 

Bezzina A, Austin EK, Watson T, Ashton L, James CL. Health and wellness in the Australian coal mining industry: A cross sectional analysis of baseline findings from the RESHAPE workplace wellness program. PLoS One. 2021 Jun 4;16(6):e0252802. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252802. PMID: 34086829; PMCID: PMC8177661.

And finally, we discuss this study on alcohol in Australian mining that Aaron was involved in that found metalliferous mining employees engage in at-risk levels of alcohol consumption significantly higher than the national average despite workplace policies.

James CL, Tynan RJ, Bezzina AT, Rahman MM, Kelly BJ. Alcohol Consumption in the Australian Mining Industry: The Role of Workplace, Social, and Individual Factors. Workplace Health Saf. 2021 Sep;69(9):423-434. doi: 10.1177/21650799211005768. Epub 2021 Apr 24. PMID: 33896275.

Contact Aaron 

University of Newcastle https://www.newcastle.edu.au/profile/aaron-bezzina#contact

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-bezzina-6396871b2/ 

Contact me at [email protected]  or www.sleep4performance.com.au, and check out the YouTube channel for the video version of this podcast and more free things.

This is a reading of a blog posted on our Melius Consulting website entitled "Prolonged mask use in safety-critical roles and its potential impact on fatigue"

You can read the full article with references here 

https://meliusconsulting.com.au/prolonged-mask-use-in-safety-critical-roles-and-its-potential-impact-on-fatigue/

Contact me at [email protected] or www.sleep4performance.com.au, and check out the YouTube channel

In this episode, I speak to Liv Knowles about her research. Specifically, we discuss the lack of research in female athletes and why that may be. We also discuss the impact of sleep loss on physical performance and why your legs may give way before anything else. Check out some of Liv’s papers and writing.

• Knowles OE, Drinkwater EJ, Urwin CS, Lamon S, Aisbett B. Inadequate sleep and muscle strength: Implications for resistance training. J Sci Med Sport. 2018 Sep;21(9):959-968. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2018.01.012. Epub 2018 Feb 2. PMID: 29422383.

Follow Liv on Twitter @LivKnowles1.

Contact me at [email protected] or www.sleep4performance.com.au, and check out the YouTube channel for the video version of this podcast and more free things .https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpLRQE4OVCvku0xUCOmIiuA 

In this episode of the Combat Sports Series, I am joined by Dean Amasinger, Technical Director of the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai China. Dean joins us today via a lockdown in Shanghai where he has chosen to stay lockdown within the Performance Institute. Dean is a former MMA fighter https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/14113-dean-amasinger-renegade who competed in The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) with Team UK and returned as a coach in Team UK vs Team Australia. I had a lot of fun talking to Dean about his former training partners such as Michael Bisping, Dan Hardy, Paul Daley and many more. Dean also shared some insights from his time in the TUF house. Mainly Dean and I discussed the aspects of fighter development, skill acquisition, strength & conditioning, crossover from rugby to wrestling and to MMA and how to identify the archetype of a UFC competitor. This was a great conversation and a must listen to those interested in combat sports, however, there are some great crossover points here for anyone looking for self-development or improvement. Access our combat sports study here for your free sleep and nutrition report https://combatsportsscience.com/

Register for our free Sleep4Performance Seminar here in June

https://sleep4performance.com/seminar/

Follow Dean at Twitter: https://twitter.com/deanamasinger

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deanamasinger/?hl=en

Be sure to check us out for more information at www.sleep4performance.com.au

In this episode I chat with Madeline Sprajcer about her recent paper on "How effective are Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS)?"

In this episode, Madeline and I tackle the subject of FRMS in industry settings. We go through Madeline's background, education and other interests. Her interest in history and her new work investigating fatigue risk in new parents.

Reference: Sprajcer M, Thomas MJW, Sargent C, Crowther ME, Boivin DB, Wong IS, Smiley A, Dawson D. How effective are Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS)? A review. Accid Anal Prev. 2022 Feb;165:106398. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2021.106398. Epub 2021 Oct 28. PMID: 34756484; PMCID: PMC8806333. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34756484/ 

Connect with Madeline on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeline-sprajcer-61b45356/

Researchgate 

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Madeline-Sprajcer

Google Scholar 

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=iBTbP9UAAAAJ&hl=en

Twitter @msprajcer

Contact me at [email protected] or www.sleep4performance.com.au

Dr Shane Creado is a double board-certified sleep medicine doctor and psychiatrist. He practices functional sleep medicine, integrative psychiatry, and sports psychiatry, putting all those skills together to uncover underlying factors that sabotage the patients, comprehensively treat them, and help them achieve their goals. He completed an undergraduate degree in physical therapy, went on to do an MD, graduating at the top of his class with Honours in every subject in medical school. He completed his psychiatric training at the University of Wisconsin where they awarded him the graduating resident award for academic achievement. He then went on to a fellowship in Sleep Medicine at the University of Wisconsin because of the huge overlap between sleep and psychiatric issues.

Shane and I discuss many things in this episode including

• Background and education from New York, Kenya, New Zealand any many more places.

Books we mention

The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-gulag-archipelago-9781784871512

Peak Sleep Performance for Athletes: The Cutting-edge Sleep Science That Will Guarantee a Competitive Advantage

https://shanecreado.com/index.php/book-products/ 

Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl

https://www.booktopia.com.au/man-s-search-for-meaning-viktor-e-frankl/book/9781846041242.html 

Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Past-Life Therapy That Changed Both Their Lives by Brian L Weiss

https://www.booktopia.com.au/many-lives-many-masters-brian-l-weiss/book/9780671657864.html

Contact Shane at https://shanecreado.com/

Contact me at [email protected] or www.sleep4performance.com.au

John Caldwell is an experimental psychologist with over 30 years of experience conducting and directing stress, sleep, fatigue, pharmacological, and performance/safety research. He has presented an array of sleep-and-fatigue-management and related courses for organizations to include the National Sleep Foundation, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Swiss Aviation Safety Office, the Colombian Aviation Authority, and both Rio Tinto and Newmont Mining.

John holds the US Air Force’s highest civilian award for research and development, he is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association and a Fellow of the Aerospace Human Factors Society. He has worked with a variety of organizations to include the US Army’s Medical Research and Materiel Command, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the US Air Force Research Laboratory. He provides education on research issues as well as strategies to optimize performance in real-world contexts.

Fatigue in Aviation: A Guide to Staying Awake at the Stick https://www.routledge.com/Fatigue-in-Aviation-A-Guide-to-Staying-Awake-at-the-Stick/Caldwell-Caldwell/p/book/9781472464590 

Connect with John

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-caldwell-b95290147/

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/John-Caldwell-2 

Contact me at [email protected] or www.sleep4performance.com.au

You can also watch the video version of this podcast over at YouTube Sleep4Performance