We have discussed many of the performance-enhancing benefits of KYMIRA infrared clothing, but so far one we haven’t touched on is how infrared clothing improves sleep quality. 

Regardless of your level of fitness, competition or athletic ability, sleep is a fundamental bedrock of performance. Poor sleep quality impacts your physical function, your cognitive function but also your psychological function – mood, self-esteem, confidence, decision making and the like are all impacted by the quality and quantity of your sleep.

We have evidence of how effective infrared can be when it comes to improving sleep quality and the impact this will have on your subsequent performance. This is an article that will benefit anyone, regardless of your level of experience or competition. 

The best place to start is by broadly outlining what the science tells us about sleep and the effects it has on athletic performance. By showing the breadth and depth of the impact that sleep has on our ability to perform at our best, we can highlight the scale of the impact that infrared clothing and sleep improvement can have on athletic performance.

In a 2019 study [1] a lack of sleep was associated with a statistically significant musculoskeletal injury risk increase in adolescent athletes. The injuries were broad in nature, suggesting this isn’t just an effect on say, muscle tissue. It was also apparent that the injury risk increased across a very broad spectrum of sports, ruling out one particular mechanism pf injury such as impact. 

This study is of particular interest because it highlights the breadth of the impact that a lack of sleep has on sporting performance [2]. It builds on previous research and suggests that a lack of sleep may have an impact on athlete cognitive function and decision-making, it may disrupt immune function and increase inflammation leading to feelings of overtraining. It paves the way for further research into each of the topics it highlights.

The impact of sleep deprivation and stress is a difficult one to study in a sporting context, because athlete ‘mistakes’ may be made because of excellent play or performance by an opponent. What we can study is the broader impact of sleep deprivation as it relates to behaviour in a stressful environment. In this study [3], sleep-deprived doctors were shown to suffer from higher levels of stress and make more mistakes on the job. Athletes are under similar pressure to perform in stressful environments, so the impacts are similar.

This is arguably the most important impact a lack of sleep has on an athlete – it disrupts recovery. The knock on effect of inadequate sleep is poor sporting performance and increased injury risk. These can in turn impact an athlete’s mental health and general psychological state. In this 2019 research review [4] the importance of sleep was once again highlighted, suggesting athletes should prioritise extra sleep over extra training.

Now we have shown the evidence of how poor quality sleep impacts athletic performance, it’s time we look at the claims that sleep quality is enhanced by the use of infrared technology. We’re going to share a number of studies from different areas, each suggesting that infrared has the capacity to improve sleep quality.

There’s a temptation to assume improving sleep quality means simply sleeping longer, but that’s not always the case. In many cases the amount of sleep isn’t the problem, but the quality is. In this study [5] participants actually slept less, but the quality of the sleep improved. Participants spent an average of 18.3 minutes less time awake post-sleeping than they did without the infrared, plus they reported an average increased sleep efficiency of 2.6%.

This study [6] is particularly interesting because it tracks the sleep of slightly older athletic participants (average age 40) who are performing CrossFit, which is a multi-modality sport (weight training, swimming, running, cycling, bodyweight exercises, gymnastics etc). This rules out specific sleep impacts on particular types of activity. When exposed to infrared, the participants reported improved sleep and reduced day time napping.

A lot of people report trouble actually getting to sleep in the first place. In this study [6], participants reported reduced insomnia, suggesting they were able to get to sleep quicker and more effectively. They also reported less daytime napping, in line with the previous study. Interestingly, the infrared technology employed in the study was ‘printed’ onto the fabric, which washes away. As the study progressed and the infrared washed away, the benefit reduces, proving it was the infrared that was effective.

KYMIRA KNergy fabric weaves the infrared technology into the fabric, so it doesn’t wash off – it’s as effective regardless of how many times the garment is washed.

There’s already an established link between sleep quality and athletic performance, but now we’ve proven that infrared improves sleep quality and efficiency, the discussion needs to move on to how best to employ the infrared technology to further enhance recovery.

By using KYMIRA clothing, athletes can enjoy deeper, more restorative sleep which will reduce injury risk, improve cognition and enhance almost every aspect of performance.

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