Abstract
PURPOSE: Our study investigated the differences in sleep architecture and health in and out of a competitive season. METHODS: Nine competitive youth athletes between the ages of 12 and 16 who compete for either the tumbling and trampoline team or the diving team were recruited for this study. Data was collected for 3 consecutive nights during the competition and for 3 consecutive nights during post season. Data was then analyzed using the Sleep Profiler™ scoring software. All data is expressed as Mean +/- SEM. RESULTS: Mean nocturnal pulse was statistically different from in season versus post season (p = 0.049, +/- ; 66.8 ± 9.6 bpm in season versus 61.7 ± 6.3 bpm post season). Sleep efficiency, WASO, and spindle duration were all not statistically different from in season to post season. Sleep latency, REM, and NREM sleep though not statistically different from in season to post season have a strong correlation. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate a significant decline in mean heart rate when an athlete moves from competition season to the non-competitive season. These data show that gymnastic training in addition to competition training may lead to deleterious cardiovascular changes. Future studies should elucidate the impact and volume of training a youth athlete undertakes and the benefits and risks on physiological and psychological well-being.
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