Association between sleep quality and symptoms of anxiety and stress in Jiu-jitsu practitioners

Abstract

Introduction: Evidence suggests positive effects of exercise on sleep. Sleep disorders have been associated with negative impacts on physical and psychological health, including symptoms of anxiety and stress. Jiu-Jitsu practitioners report to practice this sport to alleviate symptoms of stress and anxiety. Improvement in these symptoms can impact the sleep quality, however, Jiu-Jitsu practitioners report sleep complaints. Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether sleep quality was related to symptoms of anxiety and stress in Jiu-Jitsu practitioners and to compare these symptoms between practitioners with and without sleep complaints. Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Subjective sleep quality was evaluated using the mini-sleep questionnaire (MSQ). Symptoms of anxiety and stress were measured using the depression anxiety stress scale- 21 (DASS-21). Results: Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27. This study included 225 participants (181 men and 44 women). From the total, 59.6% presented sleep complaints, 45.8% anxiety symptoms, and 46.7% stress symptoms. There were significant correlations of sleep with symptoms of stress (r = 0.533; p < 0.001) and anxiety (r = 0.444; p < 0.001). Odds Ratio analyses demonstrated that Jiu-Jitsu practitioners who have symptoms of stress and anxiety are respectively 6.3 and 3.3 times more likely to have sleep complaints than those who do not have these symptoms. Conclusion: The results suggest association of sleep quality with symptoms of anxiety and stress in Jiu-Jitsu practitioners. In addition, the practitioners classified as having symptoms of anxiety and very severe stress have higher sleep scores and, consequently, poorer sleep quality.