How NFL Teams Are Trying to Gain an Edge with Lights

How NFL Teams Are Trying to Gain an Edge with Lights

Optimizing Circadian Rhythms for Athletic Performance

Whether it’s drinking a glass of raw eggs or doing 100 pushups by 4 am every day, some athletes will go to extreme lengths to gain a competitive edge. And it’s not just individual athletes – professional sports teams are also looking for ways to maximize their players’ performance.

One innovative approach that’s been gaining traction in recent years is the use of “bio-adaptive lighting” in team facilities. The idea is to use specialized lighting to help align the players’ circadian rhythms with the optimal times for athletic performance.

But does this lighting trick actually work? Let’s take a deep dive into the science behind circadian rhythms and how some NFL and MLB teams are trying to leverage it.

The Power of Circadian Rhythms

Our bodies operate on an internal 24-hour clock known as the circadian rhythm. This biological cycle regulates many of our physiological processes, from hormone production to sleep-wake patterns. And it turns out, circadian rhythms can have a significant impact on athletic performance as well.

Research shows that most people tend to perform best physically in the late afternoon and early evening hours. During this “sweet spot”, studies have found that:

• Soccer players juggle better and score more goals
• Cyclists bike faster
• Basketball players jump higher

The reason for this performance boost is tied to our circadian rhythms. As the day progresses, our bodies go through natural fluctuations in things like:

• Hormone levels (e.g. testosterone, cortisol)
• Body temperature
• Reaction time
• Muscle strength

All of these physiological factors tend to peak in the late afternoon/early evening, giving athletes a competitive edge during that time frame.

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The Challenge of Timing

The problem is, professional sports don’t always align with this optimal performance window. Many games and events take place in the evening or even at night, when athletes’ circadian rhythms are not in sync.

A 2013 study published in the Journal of Sleep examined over four decades of professional American football games. The researchers compared the performance of west coast and east coast teams when they competed against each other, looking at both daytime and nighttime games.

What they found was that west coast teams significantly outperformed east coast teams during the evening games. This makes sense when you consider the time zone differences:

• For a west coast team playing an 8pm game on the east coast, their internal clock is still set to 5pm – right around their peak performance time.
• But for the east coast team, an 8pm game feels like 11pm to their circadian rhythm, putting them at a major disadvantage.

The researchers concluded that east coast teams would benefit from delaying their circadian rhythm by about 3 hours to better align with the game times.

Hacking Circadian Rhythms with Light

So if circadian rhythms play such a big role in athletic performance, how can teams work to optimize them? One promising approach is to use specialized lighting.

We know that light is a key regulator of the circadian clock. The amount and type of light we’re exposed to throughout the day can have a significant impact on our sleep-wake cycles and other physiological processes.

Over the past decade, several professional sports teams have started experimenting with “bio-adaptive lighting” in their facilities. The idea is to use tunable lighting systems to help shift the players’ circadian rhythms and get them performing at their best, even during late-night games.

Here’s how it typically works:

• Before a game, the lights are set to emit more blue-enriched light. This helps suppress melatonin production and mimic the effects of daylight, keeping the players alert and energized.
• After a game, the lights are adjusted to be warmer and dimmer. This helps stimulate melatonin release and prepare the players for better sleep recovery.

The hope is that by using these specialized lighting setups, teams can better align their players’ circadian rhythms with the game schedule – essentially tricking their bodies into thinking it’s earlier in the day than it actually is.

Does It Actually Work?

The science behind using light to influence circadian rhythms is well-established. Studies on night shift workers, for example, have shown that strategic lighting can effectively retrain the body’s internal clock.

When night shift workers are exposed to brighter lighting during their shifts and less light on the drive home, their circadian rhythms can actually adapt to the reversed schedule. This leads to benefits like better sleep, improved mood, and enhanced performance.

So the idea of using lighting to optimize athlete performance certainly has merit. The challenge is proving that it actually works in the real-world setting of professional sports.

So far, there haven’t been any formal studies on the impact of bio-adaptive lighting in stadiums and team facilities. The companies selling these lighting systems are mostly relying on the general science around light and circadian rhythms, rather than direct evidence of improved athletic performance.

Some anecdotal reports suggest that the new lighting setups have reduced headaches and improved focus for players. But the research linking these lighting interventions to measurable performance gains on the field or court is still lacking.

Part of the challenge is that these lighting systems are highly customizable, with tons of different settings and configurations. It makes them difficult to study in a controlled lab environment. And in the fast-paced world of professional sports, teams may be hesitant to participate in lengthy research studies that could disrupt their training and preparation routines.

The Potential Payoff

Despite the lack of definitive proof, some professional sports teams have already invested heavily in bio-adaptive lighting systems. And it’s not just sports organizations – schools, offices, and other facilities are also exploring this technology.

The potential payoff is significant. Even a small boost in athletic performance could translate to millions of dollars in revenue for a professional sports franchise. And for teams that are already highly competitive, any edge they can gain could be the difference between winning and losing a championship.

Lighting alone won’t turn a losing team into a winner. If a team is already lousy, new light bulbs won’t change that. However, for teams performing at a high level, optimizing players’ circadian rhythms could be the secret weapon they need to take their game to the next level.

As the research continues to evolve, we’ll likely see more and more teams experimenting with bio-adaptive lighting. And hopefully, we’ll start to get a clearer picture of whether this innovative approach can truly deliver a competitive advantage.

In the meantime, you can learn more about the science of circadian rhythms and their impact on our lives in the book The Inner Clock by Lynne Peeples. This new book, which was the inspiration for the SciShow video, explores the surprising ways our internal clocks shape everything from sleep to athletic performance.

So keep an eye on the lighting setups in your favorite team’s stadium – it just might be the key to their success (or failure) on game day.