More than 1,500 US players have already died in competitive sports, and they’re not alone.
Many of the deaths have been linked to stress, and for some of these players the stress is already too much.
A study published in the Journal of Sport Sciences found that the amount of stress a person has to deal with in order to perform well at a sport has been linked with the number of years they spend playing competitive sports.
It’s not the only study to find this, but it is the first to show a link between competitive sports play and the number and type of stress the athlete has to cope with.
Dr Robert Merten, one of the study’s authors, said: “The study shows that for players with high levels of competition, it takes about eight to 12 years of play to reach the equivalent of a professional level of performance, and that this is before the body has adapted to the sport.”
For players with lower levels of play, it is about a year.
In contrast, the time it takes to recover after injury and to recover from chronic stress is much shorter.
“These results are not surprising, given the significant impact stress can have on athletes.”
There is a risk of injury in competition and this can be particularly high for players who have played competitive sports for long periods of time.
“Dr Mertens research was funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The study was also supported by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Dr Merton is a researcher at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, and has been working in the field of sports medicine since 1997.
He said: “[The study] shows the importance of training before and during competition to reduce the impact of competition on players’ health and wellbeing.”
I think it’s important for people to be aware of how much they’re going to need to train before, during and after competition in order for them to maintain optimal performance.”
It’s very important to be conscious of how long it takes you to recover.
If you’re not prepared for the stress you’re going through, it can become a vicious cycle.
“Dr Martin Reiss, a sports psychiatrist at the Institute of Sports Medicine at the American College of Sports medicine in San Francisco, added: “I think [the study] is important because it highlights the importance that we put on rehabilitation prior to competition and that rehabilitation needs to include a good deal of exercise.
