Correlation between age, training volume, and sleep disturbances in children and adolescents practicing artistic gymnastics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v81.119087Keywords:
Exercise, gymnastics, physical education sciencesAbstract
Introduction: Artistic gymnastics is characterized by early sports specialization and high technical demands that can influence the well-being of young practitioners. Sleep plays a fundamental role in the physical recovery, cognitive function, and injury prevention of these athletes.
Objective: to examine the relationship between age, weekly training volume, and sleep disturbances in children and adolescents practicing artistic gymnastics.
Methodology: consisted of an observational, cross-sectional, and correlational study involving 42 female gymnasts between 4 and 12 years of age (7.78 ± 2.23 years of age). Sleep disturbances were assessed using the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children, answered by parents, and data were analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation.
Results: The results showed no significant correlation between weekly training frequency and sleep disturbances. However, a significant negative correlation was observed between age and sleep disturbances, indicating that younger gymnasts experienced more frequent or severe sleep issues.
Discussion: the findings were contrasted with literature suggesting that training duration and evening schedules may impact sleep more than frequency alone. The results supported the idea that sleep patterns in this population are more strongly influenced by maturational and biological processes than by training volume.
Conclusions: age is a relevant factor for sleep disturbances in young gymnasts, highlighting the importance of monitoring sleep health during early sports specialization.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Francine De Oliveira, Estêvão Rios Monteiro, José Augusto Dalmonte Malacarne, Paulo Sérgio Pimentel de Oliveira, Bernardo Ouvernek Belinger da Silva, Marcos Vinicius Mendes de Oliveira, Gleisson da Silva Araújo, Victor Gonçalves Corrêa Neto
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