Poor quality of sleep and musculoskeletal pains among highly trained and elite athletes in Senegal

Jerson Mekoulou Ndongo; Elysée Claude Bika Lele; Hassane Malam Moussa Ahmet; Wiliam Richard Guessogo; Mbang Biang Wiliam; Jessica Guyot; Vianey Rozand; Ahmadou; Clarisse Noel Ayina Ayina; Loick Pradel Kojom Foko; Nathalie Barth; Bienvenu Bongue; Abdoulaye Ba; Abdoulaye Samb; Fréderic Roche; Samuel Honoré Mandengue; Peguy Brice Assomo-Ndemba

doi:10.1186/s13102-023-00705-4

Poor quality of sleep and musculoskeletal pains among highly trained and elite athletes in Senegal

BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2024 Feb 22;16(1):54. doi: 10.1186/s13102-023-00705-4.

Authors

Jerson Mekoulou Ndongo¹, Elysée Claude Bika Lele¹, Hassane Malam Moussa Ahmet², Wiliam Richard Guessogo³, Mbang Biang Wiliam³, Jessica Guyot⁴, Vianey Rozand⁵, Ahmadou¹, Clarisse Noel Ayina Ayina¹, Loick Pradel Kojom Foko¹, Nathalie Barth⁵, Bienvenu Bongue^{4

6}, Abdoulaye Ba⁷, Abdoulaye Samb⁷, Fréderic Roche⁴, Samuel Honoré Mandengue¹, Peguy Brice Assomo-Ndemba⁸

Affiliations

¹ Physical Activities and Sport Physiology & Medicine Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon.
² Faculty of Health Sciences of the Abdou Moumouni University of Niamey, Niamey, Niger.
³ National Institute of Youth and Sports Yaoundé, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon.
⁴ Mines Saint-Etienne, INSERM, U1059 Sainbiose, Université Jean Monnet, Saint-Étienne, 42023, France.
⁵ Université Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne, Lyon 1, Université Savoie Mont-Blanc, Laboratoire Inter-universitaire de Biologie de la Motricité, F-42023, Saint-Étienne, France.
⁶ Support and Education Technical Centre of Health Examination Centres (CETAF), Saint-Etienne, France.
⁷ Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Dentistry, University of Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Sénégal.
⁸ Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Science, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon. assomo_ndemba@yahoo.fr.

Abstract

Background: Previous studies reported that poor sleep quality (PSQ) was associated with musculoskeletal pains (MSP) and poor physical performance in athletes.

Objective: The current study aimed at determining PSQ and its associations with MSP in some sub-Saharan athletes.

Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 205 highly trained and 115 elite athletes (aged: 25 ± 2 years, Body mass index: 22.8 ± 0.9 kg/m²) in Dakar, Senegal, during a competitive season in a variety of sport disciplines including athletics, basketball, football, rugby, wrestling, tennis. Quality of sleep and MSP were assessed using the French version Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and French version of Nordic questionnaire respectively. Pain on body joints during a week was defined as seven-day MSP (MSP-7d) and PSQ for a PSQI > 5.

Results: 27.8% (95%CI: 23.2-32.9) of the overall sample suffered PSQ, with 33.7% (95%CI: 24.7-44.0) in basketball and 24.7% (95%CI: 16.9-34.6) in football. According to athletic status and gender, PSQ was more prevalent among highly trained (66.3; 95%CI: 55.9-75.3) and men (69.7%; 95%CI: 59.5-78.7). Among athletes with PSQ 43.8% (95%CI: 33.9-54.2) suffered MSP-7d, with 36.6%; highly trained (95%CI: 23.7-42.9) and 28.1% female. Considering body region, hips/thigh (14.6%; 95% CI: 8.74-23.4) and upper back (13.5%; 95%CI: 7.88 -21, 1) were more affected. Basketball players were more affected from MSP (MSP-7d = 38.5%; 95%CI: 24. 9-54.1) on high on wrists/hands (MSP-7d = 44.4%; 95%CI: 18.9 -73.3; P = 0.04). Based on athletic status, MSP-7d were higher on highly trained necks (100%; 95%CI: 56.1-100; p = 0.04). PSQ was associated with basketball (OR: 3.062, 95%CI: 1.130-8.300, p = 0.02) compared to Athletic. PSQ and MSP-7d were associated on Wrist/hands (OR: 3.352, 95%CI: 1.235-9.099, p = 0.01), and at the upper back (OR: 5.820, 95%CI: 2.096-16.161, p = 0.0007).

Conclusion: These results indicate that PSQ is considerable among Senegalese athletes and is associated with MSP during a week. Hence, we recommend to look for strategies optimizing good quality of sleep in order to reduce pains, to improve health.

Keywords: Highly trained and elite athletes; Musculoskeletal pains; Poor sleep quality; Senegal.