This data could also be used to provide younger players with benchmarks to aim for when considering their own long-term development as an athlete. From a business and fan engagement standpoint, if teams and leagues decide they are comfortable sharing some of this data publicly, it will be another engagement tool as fans see how they measure up to their heroes. In the countryside.
Concussion awareness affects all sports
Safety will continue to be high on the agenda of all teams and governing bodies, not only in regards to managing the spread of disease, but also preventing concussions.
This year we’ll see more results from a series of high-profile research studies looking at the incidence and implications of concussion in sports from American football to American football to rugby union to the AFL and beyond. There is increasing evidence that head impacts leading to concussive events (brain jolts inside the skull) or many smaller impacts leading to a build-up of sub-concussive events have extremely serious long-term effects.
The number of athletes having to retire after such events or retired athletes reporting dementia-like symptoms is increasing. As a result, the use of wearable technologies, such as instrumented mouth guards from companies like HITIQ, allows us to better understand when such impacts have occurred and how severe they have been.
Hopefully this will lead to a decrease in concussions in the long run and ensure that even the smallest incidences are not overlooked. This will fuel policy changes around return-to-play protocols to ensure no athlete returns to potentially dangerous situations earlier than they should. Overall, increased awareness and advances in athlete monitoring will allow players to be much better protected and stay healthy longer.
Cold showers are here to stay
One thing that will definitely not go away in 2022 is the influence of sports stars and celebrities on our daily habits. Add in the rise of influencers and it seems like we’re being bombarded with ways to live better from every angle, be it supplements, apps, or the latest sports tech to “hack our lives” ever closer to perfection. 2022 will be the year of taking care of 해외스포츠중계, and most of us need it.
For the sports industry, this will mean a greater focus on rest and recovery. Ice baths and cold showers will certainly be a part of this. Cold dipping as a trend was started by Dutch motivational speaker Wim Hof, and has seen widespread adoption by a group of professional athletes and celebrities. Cold soaks are supposed to improve sleep quality and circulation, and speed recovery. It is also claimed to increase energy levels, improve mood, relieve stress, and even enhance creativity.
So should we take cold showers in the New Year? Well, the science is mixed. Sudden exposure to cold (if your doctor says you’re well enough to handle it) can lead to hyperventilation. However, if you can calm your breathing during that initial phase, you’ll likely experience a positive chemical release of serotonin and dopamine, which could account for many of the claimed benefits.
We also see activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which can reduce the innate immune response and reduce inflammation. That may be where the enhanced recovery is coming from. There isn’t enough scientific evidence to say definitively that cold showers or ice baths will deliver all the benefits their supporters swear by, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it while you’re safe.
