Hormonal mechanisms of the adaptive response to physical loading in students with different levels of anxiety
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/JEHS.2026.95.77248Keywords
students, anxiety, stress, cortisol, testosterone, treadmill test, hormonal mechanisms, adaptationAbstract
The purpose of the study was to study the hormonal response to physical activity in students with different degrees of physical fitness, anxiety and blood pressure. Three groups of young people were examined: the 1st consisted of students who regularly trained in sports and recreation centres; the 2nd group included young people who did not train; and the 3rd group included young women with signs of excessive anxiety and arterial hypotension. A treadmill (Biomedical Systems) was used to assess exercise tolerance. Testosterone and cortisol levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Excessive anxiety was assessed using the Spielberger scale. It was found that in young men and young women of the 1st group under stress test conditions there was a synchronous increase in cortisol and testosterone. In the 2nd group of students, a decrease of testosterone levels was detected among young women at the height of stress test – by 11.84 % (p < 0.05), in young men no significant changes were noted. At the same time, there was an increase in cortisol by 24.48 % and 22.59 %, respectively, in young men and young women, these results were higher than those of the 1st. In the 3rd group of female students, basal cortisol and testosterone levels against the background of stress test were significantly lower than those obtained in young women with higher load tolerance. At the same time, in the conditions of stress test (7.35 ± 0.47 MET), the increase in cortisol levels was 15.87 %, compared to 24.48 % – the result obtained in young women of the 2nd group (8.45 ± 0.52 MET). The revealed low tolerance to stress test correlated with an increase in the cortisol/testosterone ratio due to an increase in cortisol. The authors conclude that young people screening examinations using standardized questionnaires and stress tests are recommended to identify maladaptation syndrome manifestation among students and to develop methods of their recovery.
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