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The level of physical activity affects adrenal and cardiovascular reactivity to psychosocial stress.

  • Rimmele U Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Zürich, Binzmühlestrasse 14/Box 8, CH-8050 Zürich, Switzerland.
  • Seiler R Institute of Sport Science, University of Bern, Bremgartenstrasse 145, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
  • Marti B Swiss Federal Office of Sports, CH-2532 Magglingen, Switzerland.
  • Wirtz PH Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zürich, Binzmühlestrasse 14/Box 26, CH-8050 Zürich, Switzerland.
  • Ehlert U Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zürich, Binzmühlestrasse 14/Box 26, CH-8050 Zürich, Switzerland.
  • Heinrichs M Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Zürich, Binzmühlestrasse 14/Box 8, CH-8050 Zürich, Switzerland. Electronic address: m.heinrichs@psychologie.uzh.ch.
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  • 2008-10-17
Published in:
  • Psychoneuroendocrinology. - 2009
Adult
Anxiety
Athletic Performance
Autonomic Nervous System
Heart Rate
Humans
Hydrocortisone
Male
Motor Activity
Saliva
Stress, Psychological
English Physical activity plays a key role in the control of neuroendocrine, autonomic, and behavioral responses to physical and psychosocial stress. However, little is known about how the level of physical activity modulates stress responsiveness. Here, we test whether different levels of physical activity are associated with different adrenal, cardiovascular, and psychological responses to psychosocial stress. In addition, competitiveness is assessed as a personality trait that possibly modulates the relationship between physical activity and stress reactivity. Eighteen elite sportsmen, 50 amateur sportsmen, and 24 untrained men were exposed to a standardized psychosocial laboratory stressor (Trier Social Stress Test). Repeated measures of salivary free cortisol, heart rate, and psychological responses to psychosocial stress were compared among the 3 study groups. Elite sportsmen exhibited significantly lower cortisol, heart rate, and state anxiety responses compared with untrained subjects. Amateur sportsmen showed a dissociation between sympathetic and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal responsiveness to stress, with significantly reduced heart rate responses but no difference in cortisol responses compared with untrained men. Different levels of competitiveness among groups did not mediate stress reactivity. Our results are in line with previous studies indicating reduced reactivity of the autonomic nervous system to psychosocial stress in trained individuals. More importantly, these findings imply a differential effect of the level of physical activity on different stress-related neurophysiological systems in response to psychosocial stress.
Language
  • English
Open access status
green
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https://sonar.ch/global/documents/53010
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