Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the sleep-wake cycle of wheelchair rugby
athletes during the pre-season compared to in-season. Wheelchair Rugby athletes
wore an actigraph monitor during two respective 10-day periods: 1) pre-season
and 2) in-season, each of which comprised three training days, three rest days,
and four competition days, respectively. In addition, the players completed
questionnaires regarding sleepiness, subjective quality of sleep, and
chronotype, as well as the use of the sleep diary along with the actigraph
measurements (20 days). The wheelchair rugby athletes had poor subjective sleep
quality in both stages observed by sleep efficiency below 85% (ES 0.31)
and high score in the Pittsburgh questionnaire (effect size-ES 0.55), the
actigraphy results presented an increase of sleep latency (ES 0.47), and wake
after sleep onset (ES 0.42). When comparing the athlete’s routine, the
competition days, demonstrated a reduction in the total time of sleep and the
sleep efficiency, in addition to an increase in wakefulness after sleep onset
when compared with the training and rest periods. As a result, the wheelchair
rugby players did not describe a pattern of sleep-wake cycle during different
training phases, as well as poor sleep quality.
Key words
actigraphy - sleep - adapted sports - paralympic athletes
