Mahdi Nourhène, Delleli Slaheddine, Jebabli Arwa, Ben Maaoui Khouloud, Del Coso Juan, Chtourou Hamdi, Ardigò Luca Paolo, Ouergui Ibrahim
High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax 3000, Tunisia.
Research Laboratory, Education, Motricity, Sport and Health, EM2S, LR19JS01, University of Sfax, Sfax 3000, Tunisia.
Sports (Basel). 2025 Jun 19;13(6):190. doi: 10.3390/sports13060190.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Sleep and recovery are critical for optimising exercise performance. However, the efficacy of melatonin supplementation in improving sleep quality and next-day physical performance remains unclear. This study examined the effects of melatonin ingestion on sleep and performance-related outcomes the following day in trained males.
In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, 12 trained males (age: 21.92 ± 2.84 years) ingested 6 mg of melatonin (MEL) or a placebo (PLA) the night before performing the 5 m shuttle test (5mSRT). Before and after the 5mSRT, blood samples were collected. Peak heart rate (HR) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded throughout the test. Perceived recovery status (PRS) and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) were measured before, 5 min, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after the test. The sleep/wake cycle was monitored during the night after ingestion.
Data were analysed using paired t-tests, Wilcoxon tests, and two-way ANOVAs, with significance set at < 0.05. Compared to PLA, MEL did not modify any sleep parameters or blood markers (all > 0.05). However, MEL improved total distance, fatigue index, the percentage decrement between sprints, and HR (all < 0.05) in the 5mSRT compared to PLA. MEL also enhanced PRS values up to 72 h post-exercise and reduced DOMS (all < 0.05).
In summary, 6 mg of melatonin taken at night enhanced next-day high-intensity exercise performance and improved perceived recovery up to 72 h post-exercise.
背景/目的：睡眠和恢复对于优化运动表现至关重要。然而，补充褪黑素对改善睡眠质量和次日身体表现的功效仍不明确。本研究考察了训练有素的男性摄入褪黑素对次日睡眠及与表现相关结果的影响。
在一项随机、双盲、安慰剂对照的交叉研究中，12名训练有素的男性（年龄：21.92±2.84岁）在进行5米往返跑测试（5mSRT）前一晚摄入6毫克褪黑素（MEL）或安慰剂（PLA）。在5mSRT前后采集血样。在整个测试过程中记录峰值心率（HR）和主观用力程度分级（RPE）。在测试前、测试后5分钟、24小时、48小时和72小时测量主观恢复状态（PRS）和延迟性肌肉酸痛（DOMS）。在摄入后当晚监测睡眠/觉醒周期。
使用配对t检验、威尔科克森检验和双向方差分析对数据进行分析，显著性设定为<0.05。与PLA相比，MEL未改变任何睡眠参数或血液标志物（均>0.05）。然而，与PLA相比，MEL在5mSRT中提高了总距离、疲劳指数、冲刺间的下降百分比和HR（均<0.05）。MEL还提高了运动后72小时内的PRS值，并减轻了DOMS（均<0.05）。
总之，夜间服用6毫克褪黑素可提高次日高强度运动表现，并改善运动后72小时内的主观恢复情况。
