Stress biomarker dynamics during an amateur Lacrosse match

BACKGROUND: Athletes during team sports matches go through high amounts of psychological and physiological stress that is set upon them. This stress is usually caused by external and internal factors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the endocrine reactivity of cortisol and alpha-amylase during a lacrosse game.METHODS: The participants in this study were 18 amateur male lacrosse players. The study was executed during the international tournament. The variables in this study included playing time, number of contacts, and salivary stress biomarkers (cortisol [C] and alpha-amylase [AA] were assessed before and after the match), together with anthropometric indices (body mass, body height).RESULTS: The analysis of results showed that AA (149%) and C (108%) increased by between pre- and post-measurement. Furthermore, significant differences of both biomarkers were found between the starters and bench players, in the post-match measurement. Both biomarkers increased by 216% between the two measurements for starters. However, for players who did not play and entered the match later from the bench, AA rose by 17% and C decreased by 21%. Statistically significant differences were found between midfielders and attackers in the post-match measurement of AA.CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results indicate that lacrosse match influences the increase of stress biomarkers. Significantly more stress is perceived by the players who were involved in the match. Additionally, playing time was shown to be impactful on biomarker release among the playing positions. Such findings indicate that lacrosse is influenced by both psychological and physiological demands, due to its requirements.