Percepção e conhecimento dos fisioterapeutas esportivos em relação ao sono e a sua influência no contexto esportivo

Abstract

Introduction: The recovery capacity of an elite athlete, in the face of multiple physical and psychological stressors, is essential to maximize their performance and numerous recovery strategies can be used, including sleep, which are configured as an important recovery tool. Decreased sleep duration can be detrimental to athletic performance, as it leads to impairment of cognitive, endocrine, mood and metabolic function. Faced with this reality, the importance of the role of the physiotherapist in promoting an appropriate sleep pattern is highlighted, sincepoor sleep quality can be a risk factor for the development of musculoskeletal injuries. Objective: To investigate the perception of Brazilian sports physiotherapists about the importance of sleep in the sports context. Methodology: This study was a survey and had a descriptive observational design and addressed the influence of the professional's knowledge regarding sleep in the clinical practice of sports physiotherapy. It used a portion of data from a research project that is in progress, being carried out by the Center for Studies in Psychobiology and Exercise (CEPE-UFMG). The sample consisted of physiotherapists who are members of the National Society of Sports Physiotherapy and Physical Activity (SONAFE), including physiotherapists specializing in Sports Physiotherapy. The data to be used were obtained from only one response to an online form. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, using percentages, means and standard deviations. The information collected will be results in the EXCELL® software. Results: 89 physiotherapists answered the fom. Discussion: To recover from the stress imposed on many athletes due to the characteristics of the profession, sleep can be considered as the main recovery strategy. The differences between athletes must be considered in order to determine the athletes' real need for sleep. The effectiveness of simple, practical and non-pharmacological sleep hygiene strategies should also be integrated and evaluated. Final considerations: Through this study, it was evidenced that many professionals responsible for dealing directly with athletes understand that sleep can influence athletic performance, however a considerable portion stated that they did not implement actions thatare aimed at monitoring sleep, the which highlights the need for greater awareness and dissemination of results, such as those found in this study.