Best recovery treatment after running a marathon? Try sleep
MARATHON runners are wasting their money on gimmick recovery treatments, researchers say, as a study shows extra sleep is the best post-race cure.
Experts have pointed to an increase in the marketing and uptake of expensive regimes, such as cold water immersion and cryotherapy, as well as tapes and other kit for which there is little justifying evidence.
Research undertaken in Australia suggests runners can recover fastest by sleeping an extra one or two hours a night in the aftermath of a race.
It comes as 40,000 people prepared to take part today in what was predicted to be the hottest London Mara- thon on record. Organisers advised amateur athletes not to attempt personal bests unless they had trained in higher temperatures. Although thunderstorms were forecast to the north of the capital, the skies for the marathon were said to be cloud-free until 3pm.
Research by Flinders University in Adelaide and published in the journal Sports Med reviewed a range of sports and noted the best cell growth and recovery occurred during “deep sleep”.
While between seven and nine hours of sleep are recommended for adults, the study suggests nine or 10 are needed following a gruelling workout.
Tom Goom, a researcher and physiotherapist, told The Sunday Telegraph: “Quality sleep is the best form of recov-
Groovy till the end
ery – it’s free and easy. The hi-tech stuff is often faddy but not evidence-based.”
He said the current vogue among runners for treatments such as ice baths and cryotherapy were due in part to opportunistic marketing as well as a poor grasp of the current science by some high street physiotherapists.
Last year a study by Middlesex University found that cryotherapy, where athletes immerse themselves in air as cold as -256F (-160C), was no more effective than a placebo, and was less effective than cold water immersion, which itself was criticised as doing virtually nothing to reduce inflammation after intensive exercise. A sports tape worn by athletes was also criticised by experts for exaggerating its capabilities.