CIRCADIAN DISRUPTION AND AUTONOMIC RECOVERY IN ATHLETES AFTER TRANSMERIDIAN TRAVEL: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Keywords:
Circadian disruption, autonomic recovery, transmeridian travel, athletes, heart rate variability, cortisol rhythmicity, sleep architecture, circadian interventionsAbstract
We present a systematic review of the physiological and intervention evidence examining circadian disruption and autonomic recovery in athletes following transmeridian travel. Our central hypothesis posits that long-haul travel, particularly eastward crossings of five or more time zones, produces prolonged impairments in heart rate variability, cortisol rhythmicity, and sleep architecture that are moderated by individual chronotype. A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science, targeting peer-reviewed publications from January 2011 through December 2026. Eligibility criteria encompassed observational cohorts, quasi-experimental designs, randomized controlled trials, and field-based studies involving athletic populations that reported at least two of three autonomic outcomes: heart rate variability (RMSSD, LF/HF ratio), salivary cortisol profiles, or nocturnal blood pressure dipping measured repeatedly up to fourteen days post-arrival. Our analysis confirms that heart rate variability remains impaired through days four to five after travel, with full recovery occurring approximately thirteen to fourteen days post-arrival. Cortisol diurnal rhythm disruption showed direction-dependent effects: eastward travel produced a steeper cortisol awakening response and significantly lower peak cortisol. Sleep architecture demonstrated a slower normalization trajectory than sleep duration, with eastward travel prolonging wake-after-sleep-onset increases. The comparative effectiveness analysis of personalized circadian interventions revealed that individualized timing-based strategies, including algorithmic sleep scheduling and timed bright light exposure, may facilitate circadian resynchronization and sleep regulation, although adaptation rates did not differ significantly from standard protocols. Nevertheless, the current evidence base remains insufficient for definitive meta-analytic conclusions regarding chronotype moderation or cumulative allostatic load from repeated short-haul travel.
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