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- Title
Resting Heart Rate Measurement in Elite Athletes during COVID-19 Lockdown: The Impact of Decreased Physical Activity.
- Authors
Pla, Robin; Bosquet, Laurent; Aubry, Anaël; Toussaint, Jean-François; Sedeaud, Adrien; Ce, Emiliano; Coratella, Giuseppe; Longo, Stefano; Doria, Christian
- Abstract
The purpose was to observe the effects of a four-week lockdown on the resting heart rate (RHR) and well-being perception of elite swimmers. Twenty elite swimmers performed RHR measurements upon waking in supine and standing positions. Baseline values and those measured after four weeks of lockdown were compared. Swimmers completed a questionnaire on their training volume and state of well-being. During the lockdown, swimmers reported a weekly mean physical activity of 10.4 ± 3.6 h (an estimated reduction of 254% compared to their usual training volume). After four weeks of lockdown, RHR in the supine position increased by more than two beats per minute (58.8 ± 8.2 vs. 56.5 ± 7.4 bpm, p < 0.05). In the standing position, RHR increased by almost 15 beats per minute (103.3 ± 13.2 vs. 88.4 ± 9.4 bpm, p < 0.0001). Fifty percent of these athletes expressed a decrease in well-being. These results underline that the lockdown circumstances induced a large reduction in parasympathetic activity in elite athletes, which was associated with a decrease in training volume. This increase in RHR may reflect that a highatly strenuous environment and maintaining a high level of physical activity in this population could be favorable to preserve physical and psychological health.
- Subjects
ELITE athletes; HEART beat; COVID-19; PHYSICAL activity; STAY-at-home orders
- Publication
Sustainability (2071-1050), 2021, Vol 13, Issue 5, p2970
- ISSN
2071-1050
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/su13052970