Salivary Cortisol Levels in Elite Male Handball Players During a Match

Abstract

Cortisol is a corticosteroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex and it is associated with the stress response of the body. It is an important marker for determining the level of stress during or after exercise. The purpose of this study was to examine a sports team for the level of physiological and psychological stress generated by a handball competition via non-invasive saliva analysis. Fourteen athletes aged 20.7 ± 2.5 years who were members of the Ondokuz Mayis University male handball team participated in the study. A total of three saliva samples were taken, one before, one during half-time and one immediately after an important match for the team in terms of the group standpoint. and were analyzed by ELISA. Data were analysed by repeated measures test and Mauchly’s test of sphericity; also p<0.05 denoted statistical significance. As a result of the analysis, salivary cortisol levels were found to be significant in the three different samples taken from the athletes (p = 0.018) At the onset of the iy defferent competition, cortisol levels were also seen to increase in parallel with the rise in the stress levels of the athletes. The highest cortisol levels of the athletes were found in the samples taken between halves during the match. It was found that submaximal exercise used in the team sport of handball had a significant effect on salivary cortisol levels. In samples taken during an event with a high level of importance for the team, significantly variable levels of cortisol as a stress hormone were expressed in the athletes. Therefore, saliva cortisol measurement appears to be an important parameter that can be used to develop stress-management and other necessary strategies in sport branches such as handball where the mental and physical stress is intense. © 2017 OMU.