The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in archers: cortisol release, stress, anxiety and success

BACKGROUND

Archery is a unique sport requiring simultaneous physical and psychological focusing for precisely hitting the small, distant target. Thus, in this sport, the effects of stress and anxiety on success might be more pronounced as a slight deviation in aiming may translate into a large error in meeting the target. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the interrelationship between anxiety, cortisol awakening response (CAR), cortisol levels during the shooting period, and success in professional male archers during a national tournament.

METHODS

Archers (16-20 years-old, male, n=20) shooting with recurve bow participated in the current study during the indoor archery championship. For the assessment of CAR, salivary samples were collected at 0 (wake up), 30, 45- and 60-min post-awakening on three consecutive days, namely qualification, individual elimination, and team shooting days. On the first two days of the shootings (i.e., qualification and elimination), shooting salivary samples were collected at 30 min and 15 min before the shootings, at half-time and just after the shootings. State and trait anxiety inventory were filled in on the day of registration (the day before qualification shootings).

RESULTS

CAR, measured as the area under the curve (AUC), was higher on the elimination day (P=0.038) compared to the qualification day. Shooting cortisol levels were also higher on the elimination day compared to the qualification day (P=0.004). Archers having high rankings on qualification day also had higher success rates on elimination day (r=0.963, P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Moderately increased state anxiety, higher CAR, and elevated shooting cortisol levels appear to be the integral components of the elimination stage during a real competition in archery. Thus, assessment of secretion dynamics of cortisol appears to be a valuable objective tool for understanding the neuroendocrine control during the competition days.

Changes in Markers of Oxidative Stress and α-Amylase in Saliva of Children Associated with a Tennis Competition

The purpose of this paper was to analyze the changes caused by a one-day tennis tournament in biomarkers of oxidative stress and α-amylase in saliva in children. The sample was 20 male active children with the following characteristics: (a) age of players = 9.46 ± 0.66 years; (b) weight = 34.8 ± 6.5 kg; (c) height = 136.0 ± 7.9 cm; (d) mean weekly training tennis = 2.9 ± 1.0 h. The tennis competition ran for one day, with four matches for each player. Data were taken from the average duration per match and the rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Four biomarkers of antioxidant status: uric acid (AU), Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), ferric reducing ability of saliva (FRAS, cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) as a biomarker of psychological stress were measured in saliva. The time points were baseline (at home before the tournament), pre-competition (immediately before the first match) and post-match (after each match) measurements. The four biomarkers of antioxidant status showed a similar dynamic with lower values at baseline and a progressive increase during the four matches. Overall one-day tennis competition in children showed a tendency to increase antioxidant biomarkers in saliva. In addition, there was an increase in pre-competition sAA possibly associated with psychological stress. Further studies about the possible physiological implications of these findings should be performed in the future.