Report

Sleep characteristics of highly trained wheelchair rugby athletes with and without a cervical SCI.

Highly trained wheelchair rugby athletes are on the borderline between moderate to poor quality sleep reflected by suboptimal sleep characteristics.

Lead academic:
Conor Murphy
Additional academics:
I. Hartescu, I. Roberts, C. Leicht, V. Tolfrey
Funder:
Peter Harrison Centre

Introduction:

Recovery is an essential component of training adaptation. The optimal balance between physical stress, resulting from training and competition, and periods of recovery is known to induce positive outcomes. Acquiring sufficient sleep has been hypothesized as a one of the fundamental elements of the recovery process post-exercise.

Paralympic athletes may face additional factors that interfere with their ability to achieve sufficient sleep due to impairment specific problems. Individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI) commonly report disruptions to their sleep due to muscle spasms, paraesthesia, voiding, and uncomfortable temperature sensations.

Wheelchair rugby (WR) includes individuals with a diverse range of impairments and functional classifications. Therefore, the description of sleep-wake patterns in athletes without a SCI (NON-SCI) is also of importance, as they may differ, particularly from a thermoregulatory perspective.

Study aim:

1) To describe sleep quality and quantity of highly trained WR athletes, during the competitive season, using objective and subjective measures.

2) To compare sleep between athletes with a CSCI and NON-SCI; and (3) To compare sleep patterns when at home and during a training camp. 

Methods:

18 highly trained male WR players wore an activity monitor wristwatch on their non-dominant arm and completed a daily sleep diary for a 16-day period during the competitive WR season.

Within the 16-day sleep monitoring period, a sub-group of 11 participants were assessed during a 3-night training camp at an affiliated training site, which the players resided at.

During the training camp, seven participants ingested a telemetry capsule to allow the collection of Tcore during a single night-time period (night 2 of camp).

Main findings:

  • 11% of athletes (2/18) had a sleep efficiency (SE) score below 75%.
  • Subjective sleep quality was rated as very poor or poor 16% of times, fair 30% of times, and good or very good 54% of times.
  • Napping was used at least once by 50% of the athletes.
  • The most reported causes for trouble sleeping in the PSQI were “cannot get to sleep within 30 minutes” (n= 13), “wake up in the middle of the night or early morning” (n = 13), “feel too hot or feel too cold” (n = 11), “have to use the bathroom” (n = 6) and “have pain” (n = 5).
  • No significant fixed effects were found across group (CSCI vs. NON-SCI) in any of the measured sleep parameters, however athletes with a CSCI subjectively reported worse sleep. 
  • Total sleep time was lower during the training camp compared to at home [Δ38 ± 33 min; p< 0.01].
  • There was also an earlier bedtime (p= 0.02) and wake time (p < 0.01) at camp, but a reduction in time in bed (p = 0.01).

Reference:

Murphy CJ, Hartescu I, Roberts IE, Leicht CA, Goosey-Tolfrey VL. Sleep Characteristics of Highly Trained Wheelchair Rugby Athletes With and Without a Cervical Spinal Cord Injury During the Competitive Season. Front Sports Act Living. 2021 Apr 29;3:643233. DOI: . PMID: 33997778; PMCID: PMC8118075.

 

Image credits: © Paralympics GB