Dados do Trabalho

Título

INFLUENCE OF DISTANCE COVERED ON SLEEP PATTERNS IN TRAIL AND MOUNTAIN RUNNING

Introdução

Trail and mountain running have been growing in terms of competitions, participants, and distances. Ultra-endurance events, particularly those lasting more than 6 hours, demand high physical and mental preparation from athletes due to the significant strain involved. Partial or total sleep deprivation is common in these events, and strategies to improve sleep quality beforehand can optimize performance.

Objetivo

This study aims to describe the sleep profile of trail and mountain runners in the pre-competitive period to understand their psychobiological characteristics.

Métodos

Data were collected through online questionnaires sent via the university’s institutional email to participants three weeks before the race. The Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESE), and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) were used. Normality was tested using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and group comparisons were made using ANCOVA, with BMI as a covariate and significance set at p<0.05.

Resultados

The study evaluated 177 endurance athletes (EA) who competed in races ranging from 7 to 35 km, and 96 ultra-endurance athletes (AUE) who competed in races of 55 and 80 km. In the EA group, the average age was 43.5 years, with a height of 1.67m, body mass of 66kg, and BMI of 23.7kg/m². In the AUE group, the average age was 44 years, height was 1.73m, body mass was 72kg, and BMI was 24.1kg/m². EA and AUE differed significantly in body mass (p<0.001) and height (p<0.001), but not in BMI. Among chronotypes, 149 in the EA group and 78 in the AUE group are morning types, with only 2 athletes in each group being evening types. Regarding sleep quality, 93 in the EA group had good sleep quality, while 77 had poor sleep; in the AUE group, 48 had good sleep quality, and 45 had poor sleep. The total sleep time (TST) for EA was 452 min ± 63.4 and for AUE was 436 min ± 60.3. Time in bed (TIB) for EA was 470 min ± 60.4 and for AUE was 453 min ± 61.9. In the ANCOVA, there were no differences in the MEQ, ESE, ISI, or overall sleep quality of the PSQI. However, there were differences in TST (p=0.035) and TIB (p=0.022).

Conclusões

Most athletes have a morning chronotype and poor sleep quality, which may impact competition performance. Although there were no differences in overall sleep quality and chronotype, TST and TIB showed variations when related to BMI, suggesting that athletes' body composition may influence sleep quality.

Palavras -chave

running, ultramarathon, sleep quality.