Key result
Mild COVID-19 linked to a ~6% drop in VO2max among endurance athletes.
Why the study?
COVID-19 impairs health, sleep, and psychology, affecting sport performance in endurance athletes who need continuous training; its specific consequences on these factors and cardiopulmonary exercise capacity remained unclear.
Does mild COVID-19 infection reduce cardiorespiratory fitness and affect sleep and psychology in endurance athletes?
Observational (n=49)
Does mild COVID-19 infection reduce cardiorespiratory fitness and affect sleep and psychology in endurance athletes?
Mild COVID-19 infection significantly deteriorates cardiorespiratory fitness in endurance athletes, with performance decrements correlating with sleep and psychological indices.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May warrant fitness monitoring in athletes after mild COVID-19; hypothesis-generating for sleep and psychological correlations.
COVID-19 has a deteriorating impact on health which is especially important for endurance athletes (EAs) who need to maintain continuity of training. The illness affects sleep and psychology, which influence sport performance. The aims of this study were: (1) to assess the consequences of mild COVID-19 on sleep and psychology and (2) to assess the consequences of mild COVID-19 on cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) results. A total of 49 EAs (males = 43, 87.76%; females = 6, 12.24%; age = 39.9 ± 7.8 years; height = 178.4 ± 6.8 cm; weight = 76.3 ± 10.4 kg; BMI = 24.0 ± 2.6 kg·m−2) underwent a maximal cycling or running CPET pre- and post-COVID-19 and completed an original survey. Exercise performance deteriorated after COVID-19 (maximal oxygen uptake, VO2max = 47.81 ± 7.81 vs. 44.97 ± 7.00 mL·kg·min−1 pre- and post-infection, respectively; p < 0.001). Waking up at night affected the heart rate (HR) at the respiratory compensation point (RCP) (p = 0.028). Sleep time influenced pulmonary ventilation (p = 0.013), breathing frequency (p = 0.010), and blood lactate concentration (Lac) (p = 0.013) at the RCP. The maximal power/speed (p = 0.046) and HR (p = 0.070) were linked to the quality of sleep. Stress management and relaxation techniques were linked with VO2max (p = 0.046), maximal power/speed (p = 0.033), and maximal Lac (p = 0.045). Cardiorespiratory fitness deteriorated after mild COVID-19 and was correlated with sleep and psychological indices. Medical professionals should encourage EAs to maintain proper mental health and sleep after COVID-19 infection to facilitate recovery.
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Śliż et al. (2023) conducted an observational in Mild COVID-19 in endurance athletes (n=49). Mild COVID-19 infection vs. Pre-COVID-19 baseline was evaluated on Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) in mL·kg·min−1 (p=<0.001). Mild COVID-19 infection reduced maximal oxygen uptake in endurance athletes from 47.81 to 44.97 mL·kg·min−1, with performance correlated to sleep and psychological indices.
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