Summary of the article focused on relationship between sleep and the risk of sustaing injury in adolescent athletes.
Who
112 student-athletes (Females: 58 Males: 54) aged 12 to 18 (average 15.2 ±1.5) (USA).
Design
Online survey on sleep and training correlated with retrospective injury data from the medical records (21 months).
Main results
- 64/112 (57%) athletes sustained 205 injuries.
- 48 athletes were not injured.
- The strongest predictor of injury was <8 hours of sleep per night (univariate analysis).
- Increased age and higher school grade were also associated with an increased likelihood of an injury, as was strength training and hours of sports participation per week.
- Weeks of participation in sports per year, gender, number of sports, private coaching and “having fun” were not associated with an injury.
- Hours of sleep per night and school grade were the most significant risk factors of an injury (multivariate analysis).
- Athletes who slept less than 8 hours per night were 1.7 more likely to sustain an injury than the ones who slept 8 hours or more.
- Each year at school increased the risk of sustaining an injury by 1.4.
Take home message
For a clinician & coach
Athletes who slept less than 8 hours per night were 1.7 more likely to sustain an injury. Each year at school increased the risk of sustaining an injury by 1.4.
For a parent
Athletes should sleep on average at least 8 hours per night to lower their risk of sustaining an injury.
For an athlete
Sleep at least 8 hours per night.
Original article
Milewski MD, Skaggs DL, Bishop GA, Pace JL, Ibrahim DA, Wren TA, Barzdukas A. Chronic lack of sleep is associated with increased sports injuries in adolescent athletes. Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics. 2014 Mar 1;34(2):129-33.