The Effect of Stress Management on Non-Training Stress in the Overtraining Syndrome

Abstract

Overtraining Syndrome (OS) is a form of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome that affects athletes and avid exercisers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect stress management has on eliminating non-training stress, such as mental or emotional stress, in the OS. Subjects included endurance athletes (N=20, mean age=31.4 years) presenting symptoms of the OS (identified by a questionnaire developed from qualifications for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome paired with accepted characteristics of the OS). Group 1, the stress management (SM) group, met once a week with a counselor who worked with the subjects on managing their stress level using a variety of stress management techniques such as progressive relaxation. Group 2 met once a week as a support group; SM techniques were not introduced All subjects were required to report training, illnesses, progression/regression, and any outside stress. SM group identified the stress management techniques they used in their diaries. The recovery or relapse of the subject over the 2-year period was analyzed. Significant differences were found between the SM and control group at 12 months (p<0.01), 18 months (p<0.01), and 24 months (p<0.001) for training level increase, with the SM group reporting increased rates of recovery. There was no significant difference between groups at 6 months, although the SM group reported fewer stress-related symptoms on the life stress inventory, which was consistent throughout the study. Training load significantly increased in the SM group (p<0.01), when compared with the control group. Non-training stress, paired with everyday training stress may contribute to the development of OS. Management of outside stress, using SM techniques, may reduce stress, and lead to recovery from OS, as indicated by training load increasing.