Results of mySASY in relation to COVID19 in professional athletes

Increasingly, when consulting the training results with trainers there are queries about the possibility to use mySasy app for early diagnostics and further use with COVID-19. Based on that we have prepared a short article where particular observations are described.

1.    Early diagnosis of COVID-19 (or other disease) using mySASY

Even before the “covid” times we came across some clients’ cases where without direct connection to the previous training we encountered an unexpected deviation in the result, out of the usual athlete`s range. (Usually the circle reduction and compensation drop below 80%) And this continued for more than 2 days. Based on the experience of the trainers using mySasy they have confirmed if they did not take this aspect into account for the training plan and overall athlete`s routine; i.e. did not reduce the load, a full outbreak of the disease appeared in the following days.

Evidence of this is given, for example, by the world-famous triathlon coach, Luboš Bílek (HERE), or the coach of young athletic hopes from ASK Slavia Prague, Petr Šarapatka.

Similar event can be observed in case of COVID positive individuals. In almost all cases we were informed of, a sharp activity decrease of both ANS branches had occurred somewhere 1-2 days before the first disease symptoms appeared. This is very important period as in this moment the athlete can already transmit the virus to his group members but at the same time has no idea about it as he/she may not feel any limitations in training or health condition. At this stage the activity decrease of both ANS branches cannot be observed not even in the resting heart rate stage which means it can only be noticed using some reliable HRV diagnostics. Our recommendation in the respective situation is to always analyse the possible reasons of such decondition which may not be caused directly by the training load. Based on this analysis, conducted ideally mutually between the trainer and his athlete in charge, consider the adjustment of the overall load and training.  With such utilization of mySASY the athlete can gain the following advantage:

1. avoid the virus transmission in case he/she develops the COVID-19 illness later,
2. the training load adjustment can prevent the accumulation of stress factors at the beginning of the disease, thus achieve its milder course.

Some trainers admitted when they ignored similar situation (mySASY result showing negative deviation trend for 2 and more days), soon after a fever or other symptoms occurred which lead to longer recovery time compare to the sportsmen who respected the deviation and adjusted their training and load accordingly. In case of viral infections (not confirmed in case of COVID-19) trainers usually did not register any further disease development and after some training load reduction the further training could continue without limitations.
Based on this we recommend the following:

1. Should an individual measure some very special (unexpected) result which falls out of the usual range, usually 80% compensation and lower, analyse the possible causes of such outcome and as his/her trainer think of the appropriate training load adjustment.
2. Should an individual measure another negative result the second day in a row we recommend to omit the training entirely and get tested for COVID-19.

However, as the response to the disease can always deviate in case of each individual, we advise that mySASY results cannot be considered as any substitute for COVID-19 preventive antigen or PCR testing. Please consider mySASY as a utility which can help you to identify the illness slightly in advance. So the main advantage is an increased probability of an early identification of illness or some risky organism condition by using a non-invasive method.

2.    Monitoring the course of COVID-19 disease (or some other disease) while using mySASY

Please be advised we do not recommend you to monitor during the acute phase, i.e. in case the disease has fully developed! Some app diagnostics thus the results of mySASY, may be affected by the defence organism processes in progress.

While the disease progresses, significant changes in the body take place. Especially the taken medication and processes happening while the body is coping with the disease lead to various situations and organism reactions which can show a decrease of capacity or on the contrary, its increase. All such reactions cannot be compared to standard organism reactions when training healthy as simply said, the organism reactions during a disease in progress are not a standard. 

On the picture above you can see a case where the taken measurement indicates only slightly lowered activity of the ANS however, should the athlete decide to train despite having illness symptoms because he “sees a sufficient level of compensation”, his overall condition would most likely become worse. ANS indicator would drop and the recovery time would get prolonged. So in case you are ill we recommend you to put mySASY app aside, get well and only then return to monitoring. As we mentioned using mySASY can be key to prevent illness at the very beginning only before the first symptoms appear and then when returning to the training only after all symptoms disappeared. 

3.    Returning to the training process after the recovery from COVID-19, using mySASY

After a recovery it is important to realise that any illness (as well as COVID-19) can be very tricky. Even without any experienced symptoms it can have impact on important human organs such as heart, lungs or the nervous system. From the received feedback from our clients it is clear that for a fast return to full training program without any negative impact, the key basic recommendations must be followed. mySASY can help you with a gradual and especially optimal return into the training process. Based on monitoring of the organism response to increased intensity and training load volume you can easily identify the impulses which were unadvisable and those yet managed by the organism as per the following examples:

1. The inappropriately selected regimen after the return into training caused an absolute drop of the adaptive capacity and this will now prolong the recovery period further.

2. With an optimal dose of training adjusted based on the trained athlete organism response, it was soon possible to achieve a return to the regular regimen. 

4.    Vaccination and its effect on training 

It is still uncertain, but very likely, that some athletes will be vaccinated before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The main vaccination aim is to develop an effective immune response in the organism. This means that vaccination needs to be considered as a significant stress factor effecting the central control of the organism. Despite the vaccination effect may not be perceived on the outside, the internal body environment is significantly affected. 

With our intention to observe the organism response to COVID 19 vaccination we asked selected health professionals to record their HRV measurement results in the days instantly after the vaccination. The results only confirmed the expected pattern and that was a significant drop in the adaption capacity. A strong reaction can be observed on the above picture (ref. circle 5 above) reducing the overall ANS performance on the first day after vaccination, as well as reducing replenishment activity and increasing body consumption / activation. The overall reduction in adaptive capacity and deviating response caused by the vaccination were being observed for this individual for 4 consecutive days. However please note the vaccination effect is always very individual and we have not confirmed the overall findings with a larger test sample.

Based on the so far obtained results, vaccination clearly calls out a strong body response and this is required from the vaccination effect point of view. However, should the athlete not take this fact into account and adjust, especially in case he/she experiences no vaccine side effects, a gradual development of central fatigue can take place. Its consequence is then not immediate negative impact on the performance as it is observed in case of usual illness however, in long-term this negative effect could occur if the training plan would not be adjusted. 

By no means do we want to imply that vaccination impact is negative! On the contrary, it is very important for all athletes to feel confident about their travel and their ability to complete the discipline. Our intention is to call the attention to a thorough vaccination planning. Ideally 14 days before and after each vaccine dose measurements with mySASY should be made. This will help the athlete and his/her trainer to plan the return into the full training without any risk of central fatigue accumulation.  

So please note our key recommendation for athletes is as follows: Be aware you may experience no vaccine side effects but most probably your central body control will be affected. Taking this into account please plan your vaccination accordingly as well as monitor the state of your adaption capacity every day, at least 14 days before and after each vaccine application. This is to ensure all is in line with the expectations.