The Effects of Stress on Injury and Sickness Rates of Middle-distance and Distance D3 Athletes

A runner intentionally stresses their body to experience an adaptation, however, issues occur when the body does not have time to recover. Male athletes (n = 14) on the University of Lynchburg’s distance and middle-distance team participated in this study. For 6 weeks, heart rate variability (HRV4training app), resting heart rate, perceived stress, and cortisol levels were assessed as indicators of recovery and stress. It was anticipated that indicators of physical stress such as higher resting heart rates and higher cortisol levels, would correspond with greater perceived stress and higher occurrence of injury and sickness. Cortisol (n = 2, p = 0.449), heart rate variability (p = 0.59), and perceived stress (p = 0.31) did not significantly differ across the six weeks. Resting heart rate did show significant changes across time (p = 0.006, week 1: 46.2±9.3 bpm vs week 6: 53.1±12.1 bpm). Analyses related to injury and illness occurrence are ongoing. This information is useful as more measures can be implemented to predict and prevent injuries before they take place in the athletic realm. Future research should examine these variables over a full calendar year to examine all seasons.