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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci 2025; 18(01): e37-e43
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1802646
Original Article

Sleep, Musculoskeletal Injuries, and Hormonal Status in Different Training Stages in Adolescent Athletes

Luísa de Sousa Nogueira Freitas
1   Sports Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
,
Samuel Penna Wanner 
1   Sports Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
,
Samuel Silva
2   Department of Physiotherapy, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
,
Eduardo Stieler 
1   Sports Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
,
Fernanda Viegas Paulo
1   Sports Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
,
Marina Costa Pinto
2   Department of Physiotherapy, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
,
Lucas Alves Facundo
1   Sports Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
,
Marco Tulio de Mello 
1   Sports Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
3   Comitê Paralímpico Brasileiro, Brazil
,
Andressa Silva 
1   Sports Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
3   Comitê Paralímpico Brasileiro, Brazil
› Author Affiliations Funding Source The authors certify that they have not received funding.
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Abstract

Objective This study aimed to compare sleep, musculoskeletal injuries, and testosterone and cortisol levels in different training stages in adolescent athletes, and to investigate the association between these variables.

Materials and Methods The study has a prospective cohort design, and the sample consisted of 19 adolescent track and field athletes. They were followed for six months, with evaluations done at three different training phases: preparatory, competitive, and post-competitive. In each phase, we evaluated their sleep through actigraphy for 10 days and testosterone and cortisol levels through saliva samples. The incidence of injuries was obtained through the physical therapy department.

Results In the post-competitive phase, the athletes presented a longer total sleep time (TST) than the competitive phase. Moreover, a shorter wakefulness after sleep onset was observed in the post-competitive and competitive phases compared with the preparatory phase. Furthermore, cortisol levels were higher in the preparatory phase than in the post-competition phase. On the other hand, no differences were observed in the incidence of injuries and testosterone, nor was there a correlation between the variables.

Discussion Adolescent track and field athletes had a higher TST in the post-competitive phase and more fragmented sleep in the pre-competitive and competitive phases. On the other hand, higher cortisol was observed in the preparatory phase, however, there were no correlations between sleep, hormones, and the incidence of injuries.

Keywords

sleep quality - athletic injuries - testosterone - cortisol - sports training

Data Availability Statement

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.


Ethics Approval Statement

The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (n° 27518619.4.0000.5149).


Patient Consent Statement

All participants signed a Consent Form.


Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 21 August 2023

Accepted: 07 February 2024

Article published online:
14 April 2025

© 2025. Brazilian Sleep Academy. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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