Suchergebnisse

Breathing is a natural and necessary process for humans. At the same time, the respiratory pace and frequency can vary so much, depending on the status of the subject. Specifically, in sports, breathing can have the effect of limiting performance from a physiological point of view, or, on the other hand, breathing can regulate the psychological status of the athletes. Therefore, the aim of this narrative review is to focus on the literature about the physiological and psychological aspects of breathing pace in sports performance, merging these two aspects because they are usually considered split, in order to create a new integrated vision of breathing and sports performance. Voluntary breathing can be divided into a slow or fast pace (VSB and VFB, respectively), and their effects on both the physiological and psychological parameters are very different. VSB can benefit athletes in a variety of ways, not just physically but mentally as well. It can help improve cardiovascular fitness, reduce stress and anxiety, and improve overall health and well-being, allowing athletes to maintain focus and concentration during training and competition. VFB is normal during physical training and competition, but away from training, if it is not voluntary, it can cause feelings of anxiety, panic, dizziness, and lightheadedness and trigger a stress response in the body, affecting the athlete's quality of life. In summary, the role of breathing in the performance of athletes should be considered, although no definitive data are available. The connection between breathing and sports performance is still unclear, but athletes can obtain benefits in focus and concentration using slow breathing strategies.

Disabled people compete at high levels in several sport disciplines and physical activity for this population has become a high interest area of study in biomechanics [...]

Military pilots are characterized by peculiar job conditions related to intense accelerative stresses. For this, they frequently report work-related neck and back pain and are affected by bruxism. The aim of this case-control study is to analyze the occlusion time (OT) in a sample of military pilots affected by bruxism, compared with healthy non-pilot subjects. 14 military pilots, all males (mean age 35.14 ± 2.32 y), affected by bruxism, were compared with an age matched control group of 14 male subjects (mean age 32.29 ± 4.84 y). The T-Scan computerized occlusal analysis system (Tek-Scan Inc., Boston, MA, USA) was used to record the subjects' occlusion times during 4 mandibular opening-closing movements. Military pilots affected by bruxism showed a statistically significant lower (reduced of 85%) mean OT, compared with control subjects (p < 0.0001). Military pilots are characterized by a highly reduced occlusion time compared to healthy non-pilot subjects. This feature could not be only related with the presence of bruxism but with their particular clinical job-related condition that causes different dental and stomatognathic system problems. Further studies are encouraged to enhance the scientific knowledge in this field.

The aim of this investigation was to compare serum growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) in response to a combined sprint and resistance training (CSRT) program in young and middle-aged men. Thirty-eight healthy, moderately trained military soldiers participated in this study. Young and middle-aged men were randomly assigned to, a young training group (YT=10, 21.4±1.2 yrs) or a young control group (YC=9, 21.6±1.8 yrs), a middle-aged training group (MAT=10, 40.4±2.1 yrs) or a middle-aged control group (MAC=9, 40.5±1.8 yrs). Participants performed the Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT) before and after a 13-week CSRT program (three sessions per week). Blood samples were collected at rest, after warm-up, immediately post-WAnT, and 10 min post-WAnT. CSRT induced increases in GH at rest and in response to the WAnT in YT and MAT (P0.05). In response to the WAnT, amelioration of the age-effect was observed between YT and MAT for IGF-1 and IGF-1/IGFBP-3 ratio following CSRT (P>0.05). These data suggest that CSRT increases the activity of the GH/IGF-1 axis at rest and in response to the WAnT in young and middle-aged men. In addition, CSRT reduces the normal age-related decline of somatotropic hormones in middle-age men.