Experts discuss the challenges of teenage sleep, including irregular sleep patterns, the impact of technology on sleep health, and the importance of allowing adolescents to follow their natural sleep patterns. They also explore the concept of 'nap licenses' and the significance of dreams in emotional processing.

In this episode, Wim Hof, an expert in the Wim Hof method, discusses the effectiveness of cold water therapy and the potential benefits of Marine Worm Hemoglobin as a new form of doping. They also explore controversies surrounding transgender participation in various sports and evaluate a study on the impact of the Wim Hof method on cardiovascular health. Overall, they provide fascinating insights into sports, science, and human performance.

Former Olympic gold medallist swimmer Ryk Neethling joins the team to discuss the special sleep needs of athletes. Topics include earning a 'nap' licence, how much to sleep if you're active, coping with jet lag, and the correlation between early risers and success in sports.

Dr Allie Hare, consultant physician in respiratory and sleep medicine, discusses why sleep is important, factors affecting sleep, and the biggest sleep mistake people make. They also explore the stages of sleep, impacts of lack of sleep on mental and physical health, and the goals of the British Sleep Society.

Former world steeplechase champion, Norah Jeruto, cleared of doping charges despite adverse findings in her biological passport. Controversy surrounding Caster Semenya's tell-all book and the ongoing debate about her eligibility as a female athlete. The potential of a sub-2 hour marathon record and the implications of constant carbohydrate consumption during endurance events. Exploration of the definition of male and female based on biology and historical cases of athletes with ambiguous genitalia. Recent marathon world record set by Calvin Kip and its impact on the excitement for new records. The complexity of a significant doping case and the implications for the anti-doping system. The process of appealing a rule violation in athletics and the use of the biological passport to assess athletes for doping.

Discussion on the significance of the Spring Box's victory in the Rugby World Cup and the impact of sports on unity and patriotism. Debates on luck and controversial decisions in rugby. Exploration of adaptation in South African rugby and the carbohydrate revolution in cycling. Analysis of the role of carbohydrates in endurance sports, including the benefits of combining glucose and fructose. Comparison of fuel sources for endurance exercise based on intensity and duration.

This week World Rugby announced that they will be including head accelerations measured by smart mouthguards into the sport's head injury assessment protocols used at the top level of the game to help identify potential head injuries during a game. This is how they work, why the tech could be a game changer and the challenges facing their adoption.Credits: Opening clip Rugby World Cup Youtube channel SHOW NOTESSean Ingle’s piece on the instrumented mouthguard technologyTwo articles that explore the elusive (and likely impossible) concussion threshold And journals.lww.com/acsm-essr/fulltext/2011/01000/biomechanics_of_sport_concussion__quest_for_the.3.aspxRuss Petty tweet on playing time of the semi-finalistsMy article on the iMGs from the Patron page, now public Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keith Lewis is the Laws Co-ordinator at World Rugby and Founder of RugbyReferee.net and is at the fulcrum of many of the law changes in the world of rugby union. The team scrum down to discuss how the laws have changed the game over the years, how to manage the balance between player safety and spectator entertainment and how new laws are introduced into the game. PLUS Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa established a new women's world marathon record at the Berlin Marathon. But how much of a factor is the shoe tech and how do we measure the athletic performance?SHOW NOTES:The article we discussed in the context of how running shoes have undermined all trust in the human contribution to running records, by Knopp The comparison between different shoes, showing large differences within the same runner in different shoes, and between shoesThe paper that Jordan Santos-Concejero commented on, showing that reducing shoe mass makes a difference to running economyThe link between running economy and performanceGuest Keith Lewis’ details:Email: Laws@worldrugby.orgX: @keithlewisrugbyLinkedin: linkedin.com/in/keithlewisrugbyWebsite: rugbyreferee.net Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Dobson, one of South Africa's celebrated rugby coaches, talks about tactics, halftime pep talks, coaching communication, and bug-free coaching boxes. The podcast explores cauliflower ears, lifting in line-outs, potential rule changes, player welfare, strategic alternatives, and building team culture.

Having just returned from a week at the Rugby World Cup, Prof. Ross Tucker explains the amazing tech used to spot concussions during RWC matches. Plus the team discuss how the tackle rule is not a perfect science and if 'bomb squad' tactics further threaten player safety. PLUS latest doping news and a Vuelta a Espana update.SHOW NOTES:Simona Halep’s 4 year ban announced by ITIA: Paul Pogba’s testosterone failureArticle on the concussion experienced by the AFL player discussion on the showThe piece that describes the “duty of care” arguments and whether such injuries should be thought of as footy incidents or preventable brain injuries, and at what cost to the nature of the sportThe first of three articles that Ross published on how head injuries happen in rugbyThe study that found, among other things, that higher contact tackles are more likely to cause head injuriesThe Head Contact Process Currently used by World Rugby for adjudicating high tackles Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.