Muscle pain induced by novel eccentric exercise does not disturb the sleepof normal young men

This experiment sought to determine if delayed-onset muscle pain following novel eccentric exercise would disrupt sleep. Nine young adult men performe d eccentric exercise and, during a separate week, concentric exercise consi sting of 8 sets of 10 repetitions at 80% of 1-repetition maximum for 3 musc le groups. Sleep was assessed polysomnographically the night before and 2 n ights following the exercise bouts. Muscle pain intensity in the biceps, tr iceps, and quadriceps muscle groups was significantly increased following e ccentric exercise (all P < .02), and upper arm range of motion was signific antly decreased following eccentric exercise (F = 19.19; df [degrees of fre edom] = 2,16; P < .0001). A Condition-by-Trial interaction was observed for stage 1 sleep (F = 6.91; df = 2,16; P = .007), and minutes of stage 1 slee p were reduced following eccentric exercise and increased following concent ric exercise. In general, however, the hypothesized sleep disruptions follo wing eccentric exercise were not observed. It is concluded that delayed ons et muscle pain induced by novel eccentric exercise does not disturb the sle ep of normal young men.