Dados do Trabalho

Título

Sleep quality is associated with musculoskeletal injuries

Introdução

Sleep quality is an important factor which deserves to be taken into account in evaluations of high-performance athletes.
Purpose: An important factor to evaluate high-performance athletes is sleep quality. The present study proposed to investigate a relationship between sleep quality/quantity and muscular injuries in elite soccer players, in addition to comparing those of athletes with good and poor sleep quality.

Objetivo

The present study proposed to investigate a relationship between sleep quality/quantity and muscular injuries in elite soccer players, in addition to comparing those of athletes with good and poor sleep quality.

Métodos

The current investigation was a prospective cohort study of elite soccer players competing for two teams at the highest level of Brazilian competition. Data were collected from 23 players for 6 months. A specific database for injury recording was assembled and completed in conjunction with the medical team of each team on the day of the athlete’s injury. Furthermore, the players’s sleep behaviour was monitored using self-reporting sleep diaries and a wrist activity monitor for 10 consecutive days.

Resultados

Our results indicated a moderate negative correlation between sleep efficiency and injury characteristics of the 23 soccer players (Absence time: r=-0.524, p=0.01; Injury severity: r=-0.674, p<0.01; Amount of injuries: r=-0.624, p<0.01). The linear regression analysis indicated that the amount of injuries (number) decreased by 0.06 (R2 = 0.44) and the absence time after injury (days) decreased by 1.43 (R2 = 0.23) for each increase in the score for sleep efficiency. Additionally, the results showed that the amount of injuries increased by 0.02 (R2 = 0.30) for each increase in the Wake After Sleep Onset.

Conclusões

Therefore, soccer players with poor sleep quality or non-restorative sleep are prone to the risks of musculoskeletal injuries.

Acknowledgements: The authors want to thank the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, the Centro de Estudos em Psicobiologia e Exercício (CEPE), Centro Multidisciplinar em Sonolência e Acidentes (CEMSA), Fundo de Amparo à Pesquisa de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and the Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa (CNPQ).

Palavras-chave

Sleep, injury, athlete, soccer, actigraphy.