New Orleans – Lack of sleep may increase the risk of sports injuries in teen athletes, according to preliminary findings presented Oct. 21 at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition.
Researchers from the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center examined questionnaires completed by 54 male and 58 female middle and high school athletes in California, as well as their school records. They found teen athletes who slept eight or more hours a night were 68 percent less likely to be injured than their peers who slept less, according to an AAP press release.
The risk of injury was 2.3 times greater with each additional grade level, which researchers suggested may be due to a cumulative risk of injury after multiple years of playing sports.
