DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Saliva samples were obtained with salivette® (Sardstedt, Germany) at two
different times using the procedure indicated by the manufacturer. The
first collection was before athletes’ warm-up (D1A, D2A, and D3A), where
participants could not be fasting and they were instructed to make a
quick mouthwash with clean water. Sample D1A was collected considerably
before the warm-up to be characterized as basal cortisol. The other
sample was collected about 15 minutes after the last workout (D1P, D2P,
and D3P), when participants were instructed to repeat the same procedure
of the first collection. Control data collection was not performed
before the championship, because we did not have access to all
participants before it and due to collection logistics, as the
participants came from different states of Brazil.
Saliva was collected using a sterile dental cotton roll on the
participant’s tongue, where it remained until it was saturated with
saliva; then it was removed and placed inside a plastic tube provided by
the manufacturer. Samples were then kept in a refrigerator (4 °C) until
they were sent to the laboratory, where they were centrifuged and frozen
at -20 ºC until the salivary cortisol concentration analysis.
Between the first and the last collection, there was an average
twelve-hour interval. Participants had, on average, ten hours of rest
between the days of competition. After performing the ANOVA statistical
treatment and Tukey’s range test, this study considered the significance
level of 5% (p≤0.05).