Differences In Sleep Quality In Competitive Youth Athletes During And After The Competitive Season

Purpose: Our study investigated the differences in sleep architecture and health in and out of a competitive season in tumbling and trampoline and diving. Methods: Nine competitive youth athletes between the ages of 12 and 16 who compete for the tumbling and trampoline or diving team and who train for an average of 10 hours a week, were recruited for this study. Sleep data was collected for 3 consecutive nights during competition and for 3 consecutive nights during post season. Data were analyzed using the Sleep ProfilerTM scoring software. All data are expressed as Mean ± SEM. Results: Mean nocturnal pulse was statistically higher during 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, wake after sleep onset (WASO), and spindle duration were similar during in season and post season. Sleep latency, rapid eye movement (REM), and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep 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 may lead to unwanted cardiovascular changes.