38 million adolescents participate in sports in the US and 3.5 million children receive medical treatment due to injuries sustained
Sleep deprivation is known to dampen reaction times and affect mood and cognitive functions
This study sought to identify risk factors for injuries in a cohort of adolescent athletes and to determine the relative contributions of each factor to the risk of injury.
Risk factors included: the number of sports played, time spent participating in sports through school or clubs, participation in strength training, use of a personal coach for training outside of school, average amount of sleep per night, and subjective assessment of enjoyment in sports.
Study was conducted at a private combined middle/high school in a large metro area. 160 students were sent a survey and 112 completed it. Average age was 15.2 years.
Of the 112 athletes studied, 64 (57%) sustained a total of 205 injuries. 48 athletes were not injured. Of the 64 that were injured, 42 sustained > 1 injury
65% of the athletes who reported sleeping < 8 hours/night were injured compared to 3% of athletes who reported sleeping > 8 hours/night
Athletes who slept < 8 hours/night had a 1.7x greater risk of injury than those who slept > 8 hours.
