Girl soccer players who give up other sports may feel more stressed, less rested
The abstract, "Sport Specialization Is Associated with Impaired Sleep and Well-Being in Female Adolescent Athletes," will be presented on Saturday, Sept. 16, at Chicago's McCormick Place West conference center. For the study, conducted in Wisconsin, 49 female youth soccer players between ages 13 and 18 underwent pre-season evaluation to determine soccer experience and previous sports participation. During the four-month soccer season, study participants reported daily training load using perceived exertion. They also recorded how many hours of sleep they got each night and rated several factors related to their perceived well-being every day. Players were considered specialized if they participated in soccer exclusively and had previously quit other sports. The study found no differences between the 19 specialized 30 and non-specialized athletes with respect to age, years of experience, or in-season training load. However, despite getting roughly the same amount of ...