Are exergames an option to cope with sleep disorders during the COVID-19 outbreak?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, factors related to the isolation and quarantine period increased psychobiological distress in the general population around the world, increasing anxiety, emotional stress, and depression, as well as worsening of the quality of sleep. Seeking alternatives to provide support for the implementation of some interventions for well-being and health under pandemic conditions, exergames (active video games) seem to be a feasible alternative to keep people physically active and to positively impact sleep health. In this overview article, we discussed the feasibility of exergames as an option to cope with sleep disorders and improve sleep quality during the COVID-19 outbreak through increasing physical exercise and physical fitness levels.

Duration and quality of sleep in sprint and recovery performances among elite swimmers / Duração e qualidade de sono no desempenho do sprint e na recuperação de nadadores de elite / Duración y calidad del sueño en el desempeño en el sprint y recuperación d nadadores de élite

ABSTRACT Introduction: Circadian rhythms can impact athletes' sports performance, where the plateau occurs between 15 and 21 hours. Swimming is a peculiar case, as athletes perform training and final sessions in competitions at different times, as in the Rio2016 Olympic Games for example, where the semifinal and final competitions took place from ten o'clock at night. Objectives: (1) to present the protocol of an intervention performed with elite athletes of the Brazilian swimming team during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio; (2) to find out whether the time at which the competitions were held affected the swimming performances of these athletes during the competition. Materials and Methods: Fourteen athletes of the Brazilian swimming team (males: n= 10; 71% and females: n= 4; 29%) participated in the study. They were followed up during two preparation periods (baseline and intervention) for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio during June and July 2016. During the competition, we recorded the Reaction Time (RT) and Competition Time (CT) of each athlete in different modalities. The intervention strategies used were light therapy and sleep hygiene. The values of RT at the starting block and CT were registered and conferred with the official results. Results: The athletes showed a decrease in the total time awake (Δ = −13%; Effect size [ES] = 1.0) and sleep latency (Δ = −33%; ES = 0.7), and an increase in total sleep time (Δ = 13%; ES = 1.1; p = 0.04) between the baseline and the period of the intervention, pre-competition. We identified an improvement in the RT (Δ = −2.2% to −1.0%; ES = 0.2 to 0.5) during the competition only for the athletes who participated in the competition finals. Conclusion: We conclude that the intervention carried out was effective in mitigating any negative influence of competition time on the RT and CT of elite athletes of the Brazilian swimming team. Level of evidence II; Prospective comparative study.

RESUMO Introdução: Os ritmos circadianos podem exercer impacto no desempenho esportivo dos atletas, onde o platô ocorre entre as 15 e 21 horas. A natação é um caso peculiar, uma vez que os nadadores realizam sessões de treinamento e provas finais em competições em diferentes horários, como por exemplo, nos Jogos Olímpicos Rio2016, onde as competições semifinais e finais da natação ocorreram a partir das 22 horas. Objetivos: O presente estudo teve como objetivos: (1) apresentar o protocolo de uma intervenção realizada com atletas de elite da equipe de natação brasileira durante os Jogos Olímpicos Rio 2016; (2) identificar se o desempenho dos atletas de natação foi afetado devido aos horários das provas durante a competição. Materiais e Métodos: Participaram do estudo 14 atletas da equipe de natação brasileira (masculino: n= 10; 71% e feminino: n= 4; 29%). Foi realizado acompanhamento dos atletas durante dois períodos de preparação (baseline e intervenção) para os Jogos Olímpicos Rio2016 nos meses de junho e julho de 2016. Durante a competição, foi realizado o registro do Tempo de Reação (TR) e Tempo de Prova (TP) de cada atleta nas diferentes modalidades. As estratégias de intervenção utilizadas foram: terapia de luz e higiene do sono. Os valores de TR no bloco de partida e TP foram registrados e conferidos com os resultados oficiais. Resultados: Os atletas apresentaram decréscimo no tempo total de vigília (Δ = −13%; Tamanho do Efeito (TE) = 1,0) e latência de sono (Δ = −33%; TE = 0,7), e aumento do tempo total de sono (Δ = 13%; TE = 1,1; p = 0,04) entre o baseline e o período de intervenção pré-competição. Nós identificamos melhorias no TR (Δ = −2,2% à −1,0%; TE = 0,2 a 0,5) ao longo da competição somente para os atletas que participaram da fase final da competição. Conclusão: Concluímos que a intervenção realizada foi efetiva para minimizar qualquer influência negativa do horário da competição sobre o TR e TP dos atletas de elite da natação brasileira. Nível de evidência II; Estudo prospectivo comparativo.

RESUMEN Introducción: Los ritmos circadianos pueden ejercer impacto en el desempeño deportivo de los atletas, donde la meseta ocurre entre las 15h y las 21 horas. La natación es un caso peculiar, ya que los nadadores realizan sesiones de entrenamiento y pruebas finales en competiciones en diferentes horarios, como por ejemplo, en los Juegos Olímpicos Rio 2016, en donde las competiciones semifinales y finales de natación ocurrieron a partir de las 22 horas. Objetivos: El presente estudio tuvo como objetivos: (1) presentar el protocolo de una intervención realizada con atletas de élite del equipo de natación brasileño durante los Juegos Olímpicos Rio 2016; (2) identificar si el desempeño de los atletas de natación fue afectado debido a los horarios de las pruebas durante la competición. Materiales y Métodos: Participaron en el estudio 14 atletas del equipo de natación brasileño (masculino: n = 10; 71% y femenino: n= 4; 29%). Fue realizado acompañamiento de los atletas durante dos períodos de preparación (baseline e intervención) para los Juegos Olímpicos Rio 2016 en los meses de junio y julio de 2016. Durante la competición, se realizó el registro del Tiempo de Reacción (TR) y Tiempo de Prueba (TP) de cada atleta en las diferentes modalidades. Las estrategias de intervención utilizadas fueron: terapia de luz e higiene del sueño. Los valores de TR en el bloque de partida y TP fueron registrados y verificados con los resultados oficiales. Resultados: Los atletas presentaron disminución en el tiempo total de vigilia (Δ = −13%; Tamaño de efecto (TE) = 1,0), y latencia del sueño (Δ = −33%; TE = 0,7), y aumento del tiempo total de sueño (Δ = 13%; TE = 1,1; p = 0,04) entre baseline y el período de intervención precompetición. Identificamos mejoras en el TR (Δ = −2,2% a −1,0%; TE = 0,2 a 0,5) a lo largo de la competición sólo para los atletas que participaron en la fase final de la competición. Conclusión: Concluimos que la intervención realizada fue efectiva para minimizar cualquier influencia negativa del horario de la competición sobre el TR y TP de los atletas de élite de la natación brasileña. Nivel de evidencia II; Estudio prospectivo comparativo.

Association Between Hormonal Status, Stress, Recovery, and Motivation of Paralympic Swimmers.

Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate associations between hormonal profile (cortisol and testosterone) and the psychobiological aspects of Paralympic athletes during a competitive season. Method: Male Brazilian Paralympic swimmers (n = 11) were evaluated in three Training Camps (TC) during the cycle of training for the Paralympic Games RIO 2016. Questionnaires were used for data collection of stress and recovery, motivation in sport and hormonal status was assessed by salivary samples of cortisol ([Csal]) and testosterone ([Tsal]) concentrations. The Friedman test was used to identify overall significant differences at the three TC for each variable. When the overall p value indicated statistical significance (p < .05), a post hoc Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired data was used to compare pairs of TC. The Spearman correlation was used to identify associations between the hormonal profile and the psychobiological aspects. Results: There was an association between the [Csal] and the "Conflicts/Pressure" sub-scale (r = 0.60; p = .04) in TC1 and the "Lack of Energy" subscale (r = 0.63; p = .03) in TC2. In the TC3, there were correlations between [Tsal] and "To Know" intrinsic motivation (r = 0.83, p < .01), "Objectives"(r = 0.66, p < .02), "Experiences" (r = 0.65, p < .02) and "Amotivation" (r = -0.70, p = .01). There were also associations between the [Tsal] and the "Social Recovery" (r = 0.77, p < .01), "General Wellness" (r = 0.73, p < .01), "Sleep Quality" (r = 0.63, p = .03) and "Self-efficacy" (r = 0.60, p = .05) subscales. In TC3, there was an association between [Tsal] and the "Success" (r = 0.61, p = .04), "Sleep Quality" (r = 0.62, p = .03), "Personal Accomplish" (r = 0.82, p < .01), "Self-efficacy" (r = 0.82, p < .05), "Self-regulation" (r = 0.85, p < .01) and "Physical Recovery" (r = 0.80, p < .01) subscales. The data demonstrate associations between biomarkers (salivary testosterone and cortisol) and psychobiological domains of Paralympic swimmers.

Gender differences in sleep patterns and sleep complaints of elite athletes.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to investigate the gender differences for sleep complaints, patterns and disorders of elite athletes during preparation for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. METHODS: The study included 146 athletes from the Brazilian Olympic Team (male: n=86; 59%; female: n=60; 41%). The assessment of the Olympic athletes' sleep took place in 2015, during the preparation period for the Rio Olympic Games. The athletes underwent a single polysomnography (PSG) evaluation. Sleep specialists evaluated the athletes and asked about their sleep complaints during a clinical consultation. In this evaluation week, the athletes did not take part in any training or competitions. RESULTS: The prevalence of sleep complaints was 53% of the athletes during the medical consultation, the most prevalent being insufficient sleep/waking up tired (32%), followed by snoring (21%) and insomnia (19.2%). In relation to the sleep pattern findings, the men had significantly higher sleep latency and wake after sleep onset than the women (p=0.004 and p=0.002, respectively). The sleep efficiency and sleep stages revealed that men had a lower percentage of sleep efficiency and slow wave sleep than the women (p=0.001 and p=0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: Most athletes reported some sleep complaints, with men reporting more sleep complaints than women in the clinical evaluation. The PSG showed that 36% of all athletes had a sleep disorder with a greater reduction in sleep quality in men than in women.

Individual study of anthropometric variation, energy and macronutrients intakes in Paralympic Track and Field athletes in different phases of the season

a) to measure individual variations in body mass (BM), sum of skinfolds (SSF) and energy intake of Paralympic track and field athletes b) to evaluate whether individual consumption of macronutrients meets recommended levels in three distinct periods of training. Methods: Ten Paralympic track and field athletes were evaluated during three periods: 1) end of season, 2) after vacation, and 3) preparation for the Paralympic Games London 2012. Food history and the 24-hour Dietary Recall methods provided information on daily food intake. To assess changes in body composition, we measured skinfolds and BM. Descriptive statistics were utilized to describe individual results. Results: BM varied among athletes and phases, but most (n=8) had higher SSF after vacation. Four athletes reported an increase in energy intake of more than 500 kcal during their vacation period, while eight athletes reported maintaining their intake in the preparatory phase for the competition. Carbohydrate intake was adequate for most athletes in the end of season period and in the preparatory phase for competition, and most athletes had reduced lipid intake after vacation and in the preparatory phase. Conclusion: We observed important variations in BM and SSF, in food intake and macronutrients between the three evaluated periods. The nutritional status of the athletes suggests that inadequacies that might affect the performance of sprinters and middle-distance runners are more likely to occur during the preparatory period before competitions.(AU)

Perfiles de los estados de ánimo, depresión, calidad de sueño, somnolencia y ansiedad del equipo de atletismo paralímpico: un estudio longitudinal / Profiles of mood states, depression, sleep quality, sleepiness, and anxiety of the Paralympic athletics team: A longitudinal study

Introducción: Conocer el perfil psicobiológico de un deporte de equipo es importante para definir el trabajo y también en la preparación para las competiciones. El objetivo de este trabajo fue elaborar un perfil psicobiológico del equipo de atletismo paralímpico durante un período de 7 meses. Material y métodos: Diecinueve atletas del atletismo brasileño fueron evaluados al final de la temporada, al comienzo de la temporada, y previamente a la competición. Las evaluaciones se realizaron mediante los cuestionarios siguientes: Perfil de estados de ánimo, Escala de depresión de Beck, Cuestionario de Pittsburg de calidad de sueño, Escala de somnolencia de Epworth e Inventario de la escala de ansiedad rasgo-estado. Resultados: La mayoría de los atletas mostraron un nivel de ansiedad rasgo-estado medio en el final y el comienzo de la temporada. Hubo diferencia entre: época previa a la competición y el final de la temporada, en el dominio de vigor, que se incrementó en el período precompetición; previa a la competición y el comienzo de la temporada en la duración total del sueño, con un aumento en la precompetición; el principio y el final de la temporada, en la latencia del sueño con una disminución en el comienzo de la temporada. Conclusiones: El período durante la temporada deportiva puede alterar las variables psicobiológicas, tales como bajo vigor, somnolencia diurna, y una mayor latencia de sueño al final de la temporada y la mala calidad del sueño al comienzo de la temporada. Por el contrario, la buena calidad del sueño y alto vigor en la etapa previa a la competición favorecen el rendimiento deportivo (AU)

Introduction: Determining the psychobiological profile of a team sport is important for defining The work to be performed in each phase, as well as in preparation for future competitions. The aim of this study was to draw a profile of mood states, depression, sleep quality, sleepiness and anxiety, of a Paralympic athletics team over a seven-month period. Materials and methods: An assessment was made of 19 athletes from the Brazilian athletics team at the end of season, beginning of season, and pre-competition. The assessments were performed using following questionnaires: profile of mood states, Beck Depression Inventory, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The results were expressed as the mean and standard deviation, and the significance level was set at p < 0.05. Results: Most of the athletes exhibited a median level of trait-state anxiety at the end and at the beginning of the season. There was difference between: pre-competition and the end of season in the vigor domain, which was increased in the pre-competition; pre-competition and the beginning of the season in the total duration of sleep, with an increase in the pre- competition; the beginning and the end of the season, in sleep latency, with a decrease at the beginning of the season (AU)

Percepção de qualidade de sono e de vida em atletas paralímpicos: comparação entre atletas com deficiência física e visual / Perception of sleep and quality of life in paralympic athletes: comparison between athletes with physical and visual disabilities

RESUMO O esporte paralímpico cresceu muito nos últimos anos, com isso, torna-se importante a avaliação do sono e da qualidade de vida dos atletas, as quais podem influenciar em seus desempenhos. O objetivo do estudo foi verificar a diferença de percepção de qualidade de sono e de vida entre atletas paralímpicos dois meses antes dos Jogos Paralímpicos de Londres. Foram avaliados 30 atletas com deficiência física (18 atletas) e deficiência visual (12 atletas). Para avaliar a qualidade subjetiva de sono, a sonolência e a qualidade de vida (QV) utilizou-se o questionário de Pittsburgh, a escala de Epworth e o WHOQOL-bref, respectivamente. Para comparação entre grupos de deficiência foi utilizado o teste Mann-Whitney. Para verificar diferenças entre os domínios de QV foi utilizado o teste de Friedman, seguido do teste de Wilcoxon. A associação entre variáveis nominais foi analisada pelo teste qui-quadrado. Houve predomínio de atletas com eficiência de sono >85%. Não houve diferença entre os grupos na comparação da percepção da qualidade de sono. O domínio "meio ambiente" apresentou menor escore comparado a todos os outros domínios, enquanto o domínio "relações sociais" apresentou menor escore comparado ao domínio "psicológico". Não houve diferença na qualidade de sono e QV entre as deficiências.

ABSTRACT Paralympic sport has grown significantly in recent years, andtherefore, is important to evaluate the sleep and the quality of life of these athletes, which can influence their performance. The objective of the study was to verify if there is a difference in perceptions of sleep and quality of life among Paralympic athletes, two months before the London Paralympic Games. A total of30 athletes with physical disability (18 athletes) and visual impairment (12 athletes) were evaluated. The Pittsburgh questionnaire, the Epworth scale and the WHOQOL-bref, respectively, were used to assess subjective sleep quality, somnolence and quality of life (QOL). For comparison between disability groups were used the Mann-Whitney test. To verify differences between the domains of QOL, the Friedman test was used, followed by the Wilcoxon test. The association between nominal variables was analyzed by the Chi-square test. There was a predominance of athletes with sleep efficiency >85%. There was no difference between the groups in the comparison of perception of the quality of sleep. The domain "environment" showed lower scores compared to the other domains, while the domain "social relations" showed lower score compared to the "psychological". There was no difference in the sleep and life between disabilities.

Sleep quality and psychobiological aspects of brazilian paralympic athletes in the London 2012 pre-paralympics period / Qualidade de sono e aspectos psicobiológicos de atletas paralímpicos brasileiros no período pré-paralímpiadas de Londres 2012 / La calidad de sueño y los aspectos psicobiológicos de los atletas paralímpicos brasileños en el período pre-paralímpiadas de Londres 2012

The objective of the study was to evaluate the psychobiological aspects of the Paralympic athletes athletics mode, before the London Paralympic Games 2012. We evaluated 40 athletes without 31 men and 9 women who were selected by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee to be part of the Brazilian delegation. For the evaluation of psychobiological aspects used questionnaires: Trait Anxiety Inventory-State, POMS, the Beck Depression questionnaire Pittsburgh Epworth Scale to assess, respectively, anxiety, mood, depression, sleep and sleepiness. For trait anxiety and state anxiety, athletes exhibited a mean level of anxiety in relation to the profile of mood states and higher intensity values ​​than any other dimensions. The lower total sleep time was in athletes with bad sleep, sleep deficiency was lower in athletes with poor sleep and total sleep time was lower for those who had efficiency < 85%. All psychobiological variables evaluated in pre-competition period were normal for the athletes of the Brazilian Paralympic athletics team that took part in the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar os aspectos psicobiológicos de atletas da modalidade de atletismo Paralímpico, antes dos Jogos Paralímpicos de Londres de 2012. Foram avaliados 40 atletas, sem 31 homens e 9 mulheres que foram convocados pelo Comitê Paralímpico Brasileiro para fazer parte da Delegação Brasileira. Para a avaliação dos aspectos psicobiológicos nós utilizamos os questionários: Inventário de Ansiedade Traço-Estado, POMS, Inventário de Depressão de Beck, questionário de Pittsburgh Escala de Epworth para avaliar, respectivamente, a ansiedade, o humor, a depressão, o sono e a sonolência. Para ansiedade-traço e ansiedade-estado os atletas apresentaram nível médio de ansiedade, em relação ao perfil dos estados de humor, a dimensão vigor apresentou valores mais altos do que as outras dimensões. O tempo total de sono foi menor em atletas com o sono ruim, a eficiência de sono foi menor em atletas com sono ruim e o tempo total de sono foi menor para quem teve eficiência < 85%. Todas as variáveis psicobiológicas avaliadas no período pré-competitivo estavam dentro da normalidade para os atletas da equipe Paralímpica Brasileira de atletismo que participaram dos Jogos Paralímpicos de Londres 2012.

El objetivo fue evaluar los aspectos psicobiológicos de los atletas de atletismo Paralímpico en el período que precedió los Juegos Paralímpicos de Londres de 2012. Se evaluaron 40 atletas. Los cuestionarios evaluaran la ansiedad, humor, depresión, sueño y la somnolencia. Para ansiedad-trazo y ansiedad-estado los atletas presentó nivel medio y no presentó propensión a la depresión. Los estados de humor la dimension vigor mostró un valor más alto. Para calidad de sueño los atletas presentó buen sueño, presentó somnolencia excesiva diurna y tuvo insatisfacción con el propio sueño. El tiempo total de sueño fue menor en atletas con un mal sueño, la eficiencia de sueño fue menor en atletas con un mal sueño y el tiempo total de sueño fue menor para quien tuvo eficiencia < 85%. Las variables psicobiológicas evaluados en el período previo a los Juegos Paralímpicos de Londres de 2012 eran normales para los atletas de la selección brasileña.