Abstract
Objective: To describe injuries and illnesses presented and profile mood states and sleep patterns during a desert environment ultramarathon.
Design: Prospective study gathering data on mood states and injury patterns.
Setting: Gobi Desert, Mongolia.
Participants: Eleven male competitors (mean mass, 83.7 +/- 7.1 kg; body mass index, 24 +/- 1.79 kg/m2; age, 33 +/- 11 years).
Interventions: Injuries were clinically assessed and recorded each day.
Main Outcome Measures: Mood state was assessed using the Brunel Mood Scale.
Results: All subjects presented with abrasion injuries, dehydration, and heat stress. Vigor decreased over the first 6 days while fatigue increased (P <0.05). Fatigue and vigor recovered on the final morning. The observed recovery was set against increasing levels of depression, tension, and confusion, which peaked at days 5/6 but returned to day 1 levels on the 7th day morning (P <0.05). Mean sleep duration (6:17 +/- 00:48 hours:minutes; lowest on day 6, 4:43 +/- 01:54 hours:minutes) did not vary significantly across the 7 days but did correlate with mood alterations (P <0.05). Increased anger and fatigue correlated strongly with sleep disruption (r = 0.736 and 0.768, respectively). Vigor and depression displayed a moderately strong correlation to sleep (r = 0.564 and -0.530).
Conclusions: Injury patterns were similar to those reported in other adventure/ultradistance events. Consistent with previous work, data show increased fatigue and reduced vigor in response to an arduous physical challenge.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 462–466 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine |
Volume | 22 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Nov 2012 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Injury and illness pattern
- Sleep
- Mood
- Endurance exercise
- Ultramarathon
- Wilderness medicine