Author(s): RIDDELL, S., LUBIAK, S., GAVANDA, S., LANGE, M., HOUSTON, F., TAMULEVICIUS, N., Institution: UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA, Country: UNITED STATES, Abstract-ID: 880

INTRODUCTION:
Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects neurocardiac function and is often used as a marker of fatigue (1,2). A variety of factors can influence HRV characteristics, which may be marker for readiness before athletic performance (2,3). However, there is a lack of information regarding these characteristics amongst elite cheerleaders prior to competition. The purpose of this investigation was to assess whether long haul travel influenced readiness for competition by examining HRV among elite cheerleaders traveling to the World Championships.
METHODS:
Seven elite cheerleaders (M: 4; W: 3; 24±2.8 y.o; 172±15.7 cm; 75.3±15.7 kg) from the All Girl and Coed National German Cheerleading Teams (Cheersport) were monitored during their flight from Germany to the United States. Each participant wore the heart rate (HR) monitor (Acentas, Hörgertshausen, Germany) throughout the duration of their travel, including the flight, connections, and delays. HR data was collected across the total 16-hour travel duration and was based on the Kubois HRV Lite Software (4.1.0) which determined root mean square of successive differences between normal heart beats (RMSSD), RR interval (RR), heart rate (HR), parasympathetic nervous system index (PNS), and sympathetic nervous system index (SNS). To identify differences across time, data was collected at 4hr and 16hr time points. Due to the small sample size, Wilcoxon Signed Rank tests were performed to assess mean differences across time.
RESULTS:
There were no significant (p>0.05) differences across time for all HRV characteristics. Specifically, across time, there were no significant differences for RMSSD (47.6±26.3 vs. 50.6±23.7ms ; p=0.865), RR (749.7±86.5 vs. 752.1±87.6ms; p=0.297), HR (81.1±9.1 vs. 82.6±8.2bpm; p=0.399) PNS (-0.6±1.2 vs. -0.5±1.1; p=0.688), or SNS (0.6±0.8 vs. 0.6±1; p=0.352).
CONCLUSION:
HRV was not affected during long haul travel among elite cheerleaders. There are some considerations as to why this occurred such as age, and physical activity. Due to the Cheerleaders’ advanced training background, and younger cardiac tissue, HRV maintained over the time periods. Further research is needed to examine whether variables such as sex or training background are sensitive on HRV during long haul travel.

REFERENCES:
1. Shaffer & Ginsberg. Frontier Public Health, 258(5), (2017)
2. Bestwick-Stevenson et al. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 43(14), 1151–1162 (2022)
3. Flatt & Howells D. International Journal of Sports Physiology Performance, 17(6), 951-960, (2022)