Are elite track and field athletes on track_The impact of COVID-19 outbreak on sleep behavior and training characteristics.pdf (1.33 MB)
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journal contribution
posted on 2022-06-07, 23:31 authored by Jacopo A Vitale, Stefano Borghi, Roberto Codella, Antonio LastellaAntonio Lastella, Mathieu Nedelec, Giuseppe Banfi, Antonio la TorreThe Covid-19 outbreak forced many governments to enter a nationwide lockdown. The aim of this study was to evaluate, by means of a survey, changes in sleep parameters and physical activity characteristics of elite track and field athletes in three periods: before the lockdown (T0), during the lockdown (09th March - 03rd May 2020, T1) and the first month after the lockdown (T2). This study was conducted from May 2020 to June 2020 and data were collected using an offline survey with 89 elite track and field athletes (mean age: 24.7 ± 5.4; n = 43 males; n = 46 females). The survey consisted of demographic data and questions on physical activity and sleep behavior at T0, T1 and T2. Athletes reported lower sleep quality scores at T1 compared to T0 and T2 (p < 0.0001) and registered delayed bedtime, wake-up time and longer sleep latency during the lockdown compared to pre-lockdown and post-lockdown whereas no changes in total sleep time were reported. No inter-group differences were detected in sleep characteristics between short- and long-term disciplines and between genders. The weekly training volume decreased from 16.1 ± 5.7 hours at T0 to 10.7 ± 5.7 hours at T1 (p < 0.0001) whereas no significant differences were detected in training volume during the lockdown in relation to the square footage of the house (p = 0.309). Alcohol (p = 0.136) and caffeine intake (p = 0.990) and use of electronic devices (p = 0.317) were similar pre-, during, and post-lockdown. The unprecedented circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic had negative impacts on the Italian track and field athletes' sleep and training volumes.
History
Volume
38Issue
4Start Page
741End Page
751Number of Pages
11eISSN
2083-1862ISSN
0860-021XPublisher
Termedia PublishingPublisher License
CC BY-NC-NDPublisher DOI
Additional Rights
CC BY-SA 4.0Language
engPeer Reviewed
- Yes
Open Access
- Yes
Acceptance Date
2021-09-26External Author Affiliations
French National Institute of Sport (INSEP), France; Università degli Studi di Milano, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, ItalyAuthor Research Institute
- Appleton Institute
Era Eligible
- Yes