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Studies link fatigue and sleep to MLB performance and career longevity

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Public release date: 30-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Lynn Celmer lcelmer@aasmnet.org American Academy of Sleep Medicine

DARIEN, IL Two new studies show that fatigue may impair strike-zone judgment during the 162 game Major League Baseball season, and a MLB player's sleepiness can predict his longevity in the league.

One study found that MLB players' strike-zone judgment was worse in September than in April in 24 of 30 teams. When averaged across all teams, strike-zone judgment was significantly worse in September compared with April. The statistical model demonstrated strong predictive value through the season.

"Plate discipline - as measured by a hitter's tendency to swing at pitches outside of the strike zone - got progressively worse over the course of a Major League Baseball season, and this decline followed a linear pattern that could be predicted by data from the six previous seasons," said principal investigator Scott Kutscher, MD, assistant professor of sleep and neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. "We theorize that this decline is tied to fatigue that develops over the course of the season due to a combination of frequency of travel and paucity of days off."

Data analysis tracked the frequency with which MLB batters swung at pitches outside of the strike zone during the 2012 season. Data were sorted by month for all 30 teams and compared between the first and last month of the season. Data for each team also were compared to a statistical model, based on data from the 2006 to 2011 seasons, which predicts a linear decline in strike-zone judgment per month.

Kutscher noted that the results are strikingly consistent and seem to contradict the conventional wisdom that plate discipline should improve during the season through frequent practice and repetition.

"Teams on the East or West Coast, with good or bad records, they all follow the same pattern of worsening plate discipline," he said. "This study suggests hitters always demonstrate the best judgment when at bat in the first month of the season."

He added that teams may be able to gain a competitive edge by focusing on fatigue management.

"A team that recognizes this trend and takes steps to slow or reverse it - by enacting fatigue-mitigating strategies, especially in the middle and late season, for example - can gain a large competitive advantage over their opponent," he said. "This may have already occurred, as the San Francisco Giants - an outlier in the study in that their plate discipline improved during the 2012 season - went on to win the World Series."

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Studies link fatigue and sleep to MLB performance and career longevity

Jermain Defoe inspired by Ryan Giggs' longevity

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Jermain Defoe believes Ryan Giggs' longevity has broken all the stereotypes for how long a top-flight career can last.

At 30, Defoe is nine years younger than Giggs, who has just signed a new contract at Manchester United that will take him beyond his 40th birthday.

Although Kevin Phillips will be even older than the Welshman should he remain on Crystal Palace's ride into the Premier League, it is Giggs, with his 13 league titles, who remains the example for others to follow.

Speaking on behalf of England Official Supporter and sponsor William Hill, Defoe said: "It has changed.

"Years ago people used to say 'when you get to 30 you only have a couple more years'. But with all the sports science and the recovery work you can play for a lot longer.

"Look at Ryan Giggs. It is unbelievable how he is still playing well at the top level. If you look after yourself it is not a problem."

Like Giggs, Defoe has taken a personal approach to his fitness.

For the United man, yoga was the key to maintaining the suppleness he needed to be effective.

As a striker, Defoe has different needs.

He has addressed them through regular close-season visits to veteran French fitness expert Tiberius Darau, who pushed the forward to a level he thought was impossible.

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Jermain Defoe inspired by Ryan Giggs' longevity

Wentworth Home to host longevity party for elderly

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Event celebrates Older Americans Month

PORTSMOUTH The Mark Wentworth Home aims to raise awareness and appreciation for the elderly on Friday.

The home is honoring those over the age of 65 by hosting a Longevity Party, a culmination of events held there recognizing May as Older Americans Month. The event will last from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

President John F. Kennedy originally deemed May 1963 as Senior Citizens Month during a meeting with the National Council of Senior Citizens to pay tribute to the nation's elderly.

President Jimmy Carter changed the title of Senior Citizens Month to Older Americans Month in 1980. In his proclamation, Carter said May should be a time to celebrate those above age 65 through public recognition, ceremonies and other events.

This year's Older Americans Month theme is "Unleash the Power of Age!" The theme is intended to remind communities that older Americans are still crucial members of society who can share years of wisdom, honed talents and colorful experiences.

The idea for the Longevity Party at the Mark Wentworth Home also stems from the Leading Age Organization, an activist group that advocates raising awareness for the aging citizens of communities with members of Congress.

Mayor Eric Spear will attend Friday's event and deliver a statement honoring the home's numerous residents between the ages of 70 and 100. A representative of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's office will also be present.

The event will feature the 100th birthday of Mark Wentworth Home resident Carlotta Simcock. Simcock's favorite pastimes include ballroom dancing with her husband and a hearty game of bridge. Her daughter, Janet Taylor, lives in Portsmouth.

Those interested in attending Friday's event are asked to register by calling 436-0169.

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Wentworth Home to host longevity party for elderly

Vet R. Johnson attributes career longevity to hard work

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ByEvan Peaslee/MLB.com|5/28/2013 2:35 P.M. ET

TORONTO -- The two-game set in Toronto on Monday and Tuesday was a homecoming for outfielder Reed Johnson.

The 11-year veteran spent his first five seasons in Toronto and was in the Blue Jays' organization for nine years total.

"It's good," said Johnson of being back at Rogers Centre. "I feel like coming back here in 2008, same year I got released with the Chicago Cubs, I got a pretty good reception then. It kind of lets you know how the fans really felt about you.

"I think any player will tell you that the organization they break in with and get an opportunity with is always going to special to them. If I don't break in here, I don't get that opportunity, and who knows what I'd be doing."

Johnson is now with his fourth team after joining the Braves in the middle of 2012 in a trade from the Cubs, and he re-signed with Atlanta for the 2013 season.

The scrappy veteran has seen more than 3,300 at-bats in the Majors, and he admits that there's a secret to his longevity.

"Just grinding every day," Johnson said. "Proving to teams that you can play on both sides of the ball, I think that's what's really helped me out. The years where you don't have great offensive years, you're going out there and helping your team out on defense."

Johnson has found himself in more than half of Atlanta's games so far this season, and he credits his workman-like attitude to finding a way to contribute on both sides of the ball.

"It's just kind of how I've always been," Johnson said. "From Little League to high school to college, it's always been the same for me. ... I really only know one speed, and that's the only way I can do it.

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Vet R. Johnson attributes career longevity to hard work

Plan for ‘financial longevity’

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At 95, Nola Ochs became the oldest college graduate; skydiver Mary Armstrong celebrated her 90th birthday with a 12,000 foot jump; and at 93, Bert Kilbride was still scuba divingToday, 80 and older is the fastest growing segment of the total U.S. population. Dramatic growth in life expectancies and energetic lifestyles are now enabling us to live 20 to 25% of our lives in active retirement.

Recognizing Americans are living longer than ever before, many financial advisors and tax professionals have created niche specialties focusing on creating highly personalized financial longevity strategies you can start implementing at any age to plan for the future - today.

Ready for Retirement?

Virtually every week on The Today Show, Willard Scott congratulates centenarians celebrating long lives but he doesnt address serious concerns like Did you save enough for such a long retirement horizon? and How is inflation eroding your purchasing power?

Considering a myriad of variables can impact retirement income, working with a financial advisor to develop a personalized portfolio can help you reap the benefits of services such as in-depth analysis of current economic outlooks; and vigilant monitoring of international conditions influencing optimal ways to take advantage of global market trends.

So you can be the master of your own destiny, financial advisors can also help devise master financial plans determining how a good asset allocation strategy can help manage investment opportunities and risks. A trusted financial advisor can help you set realistic goals and develop a financial plan to meet them; live within your means; gain a basic education about investments, taxes, insurance, estate and retirement planning; and suggest ways you can diversify so you dont have too many eggs in one basket.

Ric Edelman, heralded as the nations #1 independent financial advisor, hosts a radio talk show routinely featuring segments on how to prepare for retirement. Primary considerations he recommends include: Determining how much money youll spend monthly; anticipating the cost of health care; purchasing long-term care insurance; refinancing your mortgage; boosting cash reserves; evaluating sources of income; revising investment strategies to keep pace with the rising cost of living; and reviewing your estate plan.

Take Stock of Options If youre investing in stocks, your financial advisor should provide you with a wide range of stock investing services such as developing personal asset allocation strategies; selecting individual stocks; assisting with decisions about when to buy and sell stocks; and frequently providing stock portfolio reviews.

Potential investors need to explore questions such as What are my investment goals? How much risk am I willing to take? and How can my stock investments work with the rest of my investment portfolio? Beyond stocks and investmentproducts, discussions with financial advisors may also encompass the merits of annuities, bonds, CDs, exchange traded funds, futures and commodities, IRAs, market linked investments, mutual funds and unit investment trusts.

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Plan for ‘financial longevity’

Profitable Longevity Strategies for Social Gaming — No More Risky Business | Aber WHITCOMB – Video

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Profitable Longevity Strategies for Social Gaming -- No More Risky Business | Aber WHITCOMB
The rise and fall of Zynga has left the gaming industry suspect of the social games category. Just as with the music industry, social games are perceived as "hits" driven. Methodical strategy...

By: Casual Connect

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Profitable Longevity Strategies for Social Gaming -- No More Risky Business | Aber WHITCOMB - Video

Readers' 'secrets' to canine longevity

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26 May 2013 Last updated at 18:37 ET

Thanks to our dog age calculator, people have been reassessing the age of their furry friends.

It put a new spin on the old saying that the age of dogs could be better understood by multiplying the number of years since their birth by seven.

So we asked the owners of canine centenarians to share the secret to their pets' longevity. Here is a selection of their answers:

"My family's wonderful late Irish wolfhound, Xavier, lived to one day shy of his 13th birthday," says Christopher Katz-Summercorn, from north-west London.

"The Irish wolfhound is the tallest dog breed and one of the biggest of the giant breeds so, based on the calculations that were provided to work out a dog's human age equivalent, Xavier would have been somewhere in his 120s. To have reached the age that he did was a particular achievement because the breed average for a wolfhound is seven years.

"In terms of the secret to such longevity, I think much can be attributed to Xavier being content to laze around for large quantities of time. He wasn't particularly active. The scene in the [above] photo portrayed a fairly typical day for him. Also, naturally, he was part of a loving family and was involved in everything we did. We were very fortunate to have had him with us for so long."

Zippy, a parson Jack Russell, is 18 years and two months old. Owner Carol Coulter says Zippy's son, Munky, isn't doing too badly either. He'll be 15 next month.

"Having a 'younger' dog in the house keeps her on her toes," reckons Coulter, from Edinburgh, who says that while Zippy's sight and hearing are failing, her sense of smell and appetite are "amazing". Conventional tonics like fresh air and exercise have played their part in the dog's longevity.

But Coulter reckons a good night out has played a part in keeping the zip in Zippy: "[She] used to come to work with me and on Friday nights, when we all had after-work drinks, she had a fondness for licking out the beer bottles. The kebabs - the dog-biscuit-on-a-skewer type, not doner - are one her favourite treats."

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Readers' 'secrets' to canine longevity


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