Several methods have been used to investigated the quality and the main complaints and disturbances related to sleep. Chronobiology is a way of investigating temporal features of organisms. Such science divides the population into three basic chronotypes to evaluate individual differences in the prevalence of wake and sleep times: the morning types, the evening types, and the indifferent. Another important aspect is the scarcity of studies that relate sleep pattern of the individuals to special needs and physical activity. Sleep is considered restorative, and exercise is associated to several changes in the sleep pattern. Most studies dwelling on the effects of exercise upon sleep may be correlated or seen under the light of the theory of restorative functions of sleep. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the pattern, the sleep-related complaints, the chronotype, and the time zone adaptation of Brazilian athletes who participated in the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games. 64 athletes participated in the evaluation, mean age of 26.3 (± 5.9). All of the athletes answered a questionnaire regarding sleep pattern, sleep-related complaints, chronotype, and time zone adaptation in Sydney. Time zone synchronization was abrupt, in an attempting at breaking the dark-light cycle related to the Brazilian time zone. Results show that 34.4% of the athletes were dissatisfied with their own sleep, and sleep disturbances most reported were: apnea (14%), gastric reflux (15.6%), headache (14.1%), pre-nightmare anxiety (39.1%), cramps (20.3%), sleep-talking (26.6%), nocturnal panic (9.4%), periodic legs movement (9.4%), and bruxism (9.4%). As regards athlete chronotype, 73.43% showed to be indifferent, 6.22% were moderate evening type, and 20.31% were moderate morning type. Good acceptance of the work was observed, which may have contributed towards, and reflected in, the final results of the games, as the Brazilian team had an excellent final result.
Paralympic athletes; Sleep; Exercise; Chronotype
