Association Between Sleep Quality and Pain in Young Amateur Athletes

Abstract

Introduction: It has been shown that there is a close association between sleep quality and pain. In young athletes, sleep disorders and pain have a particularly high prevalence; however, the relationship between them has not been widely studied. Objective: To study the association between sleep quality and pain in young athletes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in which 71 young amateur athletes (39 males) were included. The mean age was 16.9 ± 1.2 years, with 6.5 ± 3.2 years of sports practice and 5.2 ± 1.2 hours of training per week. Sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The participants were classified according to sleep quality, as PSQI-I = without sleep disorders, PSQI-II = requiring medical assistance and PSQI-III = requiring medical assistance and treatment. Also, pain intensity was assessed on the Numerical Rating Scale, both at rest (NRSr) and during sports activity (NRSs), along with pain duration. Results: The individuals classified as PSQI-III presented higher NRSr (Mdn = 2.0; IQR = 4.0 vs. Mdn = 0.0; IQR = 2.0; p = 0.04) and higher NRSs (Mdn = 4.0; IQR = 5.0 vs. Mdn = 0.0; IQR = 2.0; p = 0.03) than the individuals classified as PSQI-I. No differences were observed in relation to pain duration. The PSQI score was positively but weakly associated with NRSr (rs = 0.24, p=0.046) and NRSs (rs = 0.27, p = 0.03) but not with pain duration. Conclusion: Young athletes with lower levels of sleep quality show higher levels of pain at rest and during sports practice. Therefore, sleep quality and pain should be considered in the routine assessment of young athletes, by technical and health teams. Level of evidence III; type of study: Cross-sectional .

Cognitive function in soccer athletes determined by sleep disruption and self-reported health, yet not by decision-reinvestment

“…In order to answer the question of whether athlete high-reinvesters have greater sympathetic response than athlete low-reinvesters, and whether sympathetic response is different from non-athlete high-reinvesters; further studies might consider the use of AIC scans to asses brain activity in regard of bodily sensation ( 7 ); but also inflammatory markers such as interleukins (IL) 1, 6, 17 that act on the HPA axis and promote cortisol secretion ( 17 ), as well as Angiotensin II ( 72 ); both at rest and under pressure. The cross-sectional research of Bascour-Sandoval et al ( 73 ) examined sleep behaviour of 71 male and female amateur athletes, conducting the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire, with respect to self-reported pain levels on a Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). The study claims that individuals with increased pain levels both at rest and during sports, also had decreased sleep quality (lower scores on the PSQI).…”

Sleep quality affects health-related quality of life in young athletes during competition

“…Bodily pain and general health (i.e., physical health components) were associated with sleep quality, but not bodily function and physical role. Poor sleep quality has been linked to a greater perception of pain, both in athletes (Bascour-Sandoval, Norambuena-Noches, et al, 2021) and individuals with musculoskeletal disorders (Alsaadi et al, 2014;Bascour-Sandoval, Belmar-Arriagada, et al, 2021), which, added to the decrease in mental health, would explain the reduced perception of overall health within the physical components. Potter et al (2020) found that poor sleep quality was associated with higher levels of interference with pain and pain intensity, but not in the domain of physical function/mobility, on the quality of life questionnaire, "Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System" (PROMIS).…”

“…This study is part of a project investigating the sleep quality, pain and HRQOL of young athletes who participated in a competition. A manuscript has already been published on the relation between sleep quality and pain in the same population (Bascour-Sandoval, Norambuena-Noches, et al, 2021). This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Universidad Austral de Chile (N°2411-16) following the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki for research involving humans.…”

“…Thus, for athletes, sleep quality affects recovery from physical effort, the execution of sports activities that require alertness or vigilance, and learning of motor tasks (Simpson et al, 2017). A high prevalence of poor sleep quality has been found in athletes in periods of intense training, as well as before and during competitions (Bascour-Sandoval, Norambuena-Noches, et al, 2021), which could influence the perception of HRQOL, so analyzing its association is relevant.…”

The Effect of Sleep Quality on Pain in Chilean Individuals with Musculoskeletal Disorders

“…Other relevant factors, such as sex and pain duration, influence SQ and pain perception in individuals affected by MSD. Women report a higher frequency of poor SQ and pain than men [ 10 , 11 ], and a longer duration of pain has been associated with poor SQ [ 10 ] and higher perception of pain [ 12 ]. However, other studies have not established this connection and it remains controversial [ 13 , 14 ].…”