Sleep Characteristics of Highly Trained Wheelchair Rugby Athletes With and Without a Cervical Spinal Cord Injury During the Competitive Season

Mental health, sleep, and pain in elite Para athletes and the association with injury and illness-A prospective study

INTRODUCTION

The interest in the health of Para athletes continues to increase. Still, there are few studies that have evaluated health parameters beyond injury and illness in this athlete population.

OBJECTIVE

To assess (1) the weekly proportion of elite Para athletes reporting anxiety/depression, low sleep levels (≤7 hours), and pain over 52 weeks; (2) and to explore whether these health parameters are associated with the risk for a sports injury or illness.

DESIGN

A 52-week prospective study, part of the Sports-related Injury and Illness in Paralympic Sport Study (SRIIPSS).

SETTING

A total of 107 Swedish elite Para athletes with physical, visual, and intellectual impairment participated.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Data on self-reported anxiety/depression, sleep levels, pain, and injuries/illnesses were collected weekly. Comparisons of these parameters preceding an injury/illness were made using Friedman's analysis of variance (ANOVA).

RESULTS

The proportion of athletes reporting weekly anxiety/depression was 34.1%; 60.9% of athletes reported sleeping ≤7 hours and 49.9% reported pain. In exploratory analyses, there were no significant differences between weeks before an injury for any of the variables. There were significant differences in levels of sleep over the weeks, where sleep levels were significantly higher (>10 hours) 4 weeks prior to an illness (p = .016).

CONCLUSION

This cohort of elite Para athletes reported relatively high levels of anxiety/depression, low sleep levels, and pain, which is a concern. High sleep levels and the risk for illness might be an indication of overtraining, which commonly leads to persistent fatigue and an increased susceptibility to infections. Monitoring of the health of elite Para athletes is recommended to be able to improve performance and health in this population.

Actigraphy-Based Sleep Parameters in Wheelchair Basketball Athletes: Influence of Training and Competition Load

Objective  This study aimed to analyze the actigraphy-based sleep parameters in wheelchair basketball (WB) athletes during the 3 weeks leading up to the playoffs, the week of playoffs, and the week after playoffs. Secondarily, the relationship between training load, sleep, and recovery was evaluated. Methods  During 5 consecutive weeks, 10 male elite WB athletes wore a triaxial accelerometer. The session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) and athletes' quality of recovery were also measured. Results  There were no significant differences ( p  > 0.05) in any of the studied parameters between the 3 weeks leading up to the playoffs, the week of playoffs, and the week after playoffs. No significant relationship between training load, sleep parameters, and recovery values was detected. Discussion  The WB competition does not affect sleep quantity and quality.

Altered Core Temperature and Salivary Melatonin in Athletes with a Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

Sleep disturbances are common in athletes with a cervical spinal cord injury (cSCI) and may be associated with circadian alterations. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare physiological circadian outputs between athletes with a cSCI and non-disabled controls (CON). Eight male wheelchair athletes with a cSCI and eight male CON (30±4 and 30±6 yrs, respectively) had their core body temperature (T_core), skin temperature (T_skin), and salivary melatonin measured during a 24 h period. In the cSCI group, daytime T_core was significantly lower (36.5 (0.2) vs 36.9 (0.3)°C; p=0.02) and time of the T_core sleep minimum was significantly earlier (23:56±00:46 vs 02:39 ± 02:57; p=0.04). The athletes with a cSCI had significantly lower T_core values during the beginning of the night compared with the CON group, but their T_core increased at a greater rate, thereafter, indicated by a significant time/group interaction (p=0.04). Moreover, the cSCI group did not display a salivary melatonin response and exhibited significantly lower concentrations at 22:00 (p=0.01) and 07:00 (p=0.01) compared with the CON group. Under natural living conditions, athletes with a cSCI displayed circadian changes in the T_core rhythm and nocturnal melatonin production.

Adaptive Sports in Spinal Cord Injury: a Systematic Review

Purpose of Review

Recent Findings

Summary

Sleep disruption considerations for Paralympic athletes competing at Tokyo 2020

The role of sleep is now recognized as an important component for success in athletic performance, and sleep is proposed to be one of the most effective recovery strategies available. Insufficient sleep is commonly reported among athletes while several factors have been put forward to explain why elite athletes might experience poor sleep. However, Paralympic athletes may be predisposed to a greater risk of poor sleep due to the associated complexities of some impairment types. In fact, clinical research has previously shown that individuals with disabilities have a higher prevalence of sleep disturbances when compared to their able-bodied counterparts. However, research and evidence-based practices regarding the sleep of elite Paralympic athletes are limited. Firstly, this narrative review aims to identify challenges associated with the Paralympic games to obtain optimal sleep. Secondly, identify the specific risk factors to sleep associated with particular impairment groups within the Paralympic population, and lastly to propose potential sleep-enhancing strategies that might be of relevance for Paralympic athletes. From this review, initial observations have identified that Paralympic athletes may have a heightened risk of sleep-related problems, and importantly highlighted the current lack of understanding within this population group. Furthermore, this review identified where further research is warranted to better understand how specific impairments impact sleep and, consequently, athletic performance. Additionally, this review highlighted that the forthcoming Tokyo games may offer a unique challenge for athletes trying to obtain optimal sleep, due to the anticipated thermal demands and the consequent irregular scheduling of events.