science
World Cup Players Use Wearables to Track Sleep Hydration and Recovery
National team athletes are wearing sweat patches, WHOOP bands, Oura Rings and GPS vests during the tournament. Cnn reported that the devices supply data on sleep, strain and fluid loss to guide recovery decisions. Rules updated this week now allow covered accessories on the pitch.
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World Cup players are using commercial wearables including sweat patches, WHOOP bands, Oura Rings and performance vests to track biometric data for recovery and fatigue management, Cnn reported. Brazil’s national team received personalized hydration data from Gx Sweat Patches deployed by Epicore Biosystems in partnership with the Gatorade Sports Science Institute earlier this year.
The single-use patches measure sweat rate, fluid loss, sodium concentration and sodium loss through micro-channels and built-in chemistry before sending results to a smartphone app.
England players have worn WHOOP fitness bands on the wrist, bicep or other body locations during matches to monitor sleep, strain, stress and heart rate. WHOOP data scientist Greg Grosicki said research shows travel or jet lag days reduce heart rate variability by about 9 percent, sleep performance by up to 6 points and sleep consistency by up to 19 percent.
The US Men’s national team received Oura Rings through a partnership with US Soccer.
Players are not required to wear the rings, which track sleep patterns, skin temperature, blood oxygen, recovery and a readiness score based on resting heart rate, heart rate variability and body temperature. US Soccer officials are educating athletes on using the insights for both psychological and physical health. Twelve nations are using STATSports GPS tracking systems in performance vests.
England is receiving live in-game data for the first time at a World Cup. The vests place a unit on the upper back connected to a military-grade satellite navigation system that reports speed, heart rate and distance to a real-time dashboard for performance staff.
