Examination of oxygen saturation and heart rate levels of female freestyle wrestlers according to the physiological load created by the competition.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO₂) and heart rate (HR) levels of female freestyle wrestlers according to the physiological load created by the competition.

Methods: A total of 26 volunteer participants (mean age 11.54 ± 0.50 years, mean height 157.23 ± 8.91 cm, mean body weight 49.99 ± 12.51 kg, mean BMI 19.96 ± 3.22 kg/m²) were included. SpO₂ and HR were measured by digital pulse oximetry before and after the wrestling competition. The data were analysed via the IBM SPSS 21 package program. The normality of distributions and homogeneity of variances were determined via the Shapiro‒Wilks test. Descriptive statistics and dependent sample t tests were performed to compare the data of the participants. The significance level was determined as p < 0.05.

Results: According to the statistical analyses, no significant difference was found between the pretest and posttest SpO₂ values (p > 0.05). However, a highly significant difference was observed between the pretest and posttest HR values (p < 0.01). The mean SpO₂ was 96.96 ± 3.60%, the mean HR was 120.58 ± 16.06 bpm, the mean SpO₂ was 99.50% ± 3.20%, and the mean HR was 150.46 ± 24.89 bpm. There was a significant increase in HR after the wrestling competition, but SpO₂ levels did not significantly change.

Conclusion: This study revealed that wrestling competition significantly increased the HR but did not significantly affect the SpO₂ levels. The results emphasize the effects of intense sporting activities, such as wrestling, on HR, whereas no significant change in the SpO₂ level was detected.