Sleep disorders remain a common problem, despite advances in treatment. About 23 percent of all Americans experience insomnia, according to a September 2011 report published in the journal "Sleep." Difficulty sleeping has an adverse effect on workplace performance and life quality. Prescription medications can help you sleep better, but such drugs often cause unwanted side effects. Natural treatments including different kinds of exercise might provide you an alternative approach. Consult your doctor before starting to exercise.
Running
Your body undergoes many changes as you age. These changes have a negative impact on your sleep quality, according to a 2011 review in "Progress in Brain Research." Regular exercise helps reverse symptoms of aging, and it might thereby improve sleep. A study presented in the July 2011 edition of "Lipids in Health and Disease" tested this hypothesis in older adults. Participants ran for 60 minutes a day three times a week. The experiment lasted six months. This routine reduced the time spent awake and the time to reach deep sleep. The subjects' fitness levels increased, and they did not experience adverse events.
Aerobics
Neurological disorders such restless legs syndrome, RLS, also have a negative effect on sleep quality. This disorder affects about 2 to 3 percent of the population, according to an August 2008 review in "Revue Neurologique." It fragments nighttime sleep and reduces daytime alertness. Exercise helps patients manage the "tingling" sensations experienced in this disorder. It might also improve their sleep quality. A clinical trial offered in the January 2009 issue of "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise" explored this possibility in patients with RLS. Volunteers performed aerobic exercises each night for about two months. This regimen enhanced sleep efficiency, increased rapid-eye-movement sleep and decreased the time taken to fall asleep.
Nordic Walking
Greater societal awareness has not slowed the diabetes epidemic. Poor sugar control causes neuropathic pain known to have an adverse effect on sleep quality, according to a July 2010 article in "Revista de Investigacion Clinica." Physical activity improves sugar regulation and reduces diabetic pain. Such changes might improve sleep as well. A study described in the June 2011 edition of "Diabetic Medicine" evaluated this idea in people with and without type 2 diabetes. The subjects performed Nordic walking with ski poles five hours a week for four months. Relative to sedentary controls, this treatment improved sleep quality in the healthy subjects. It did not, however, benefit the diabetic patients.
Combined Exercise
The greater prevalence of diabetes has increased the number of people requiring hemodialysis. Disease and aging break down the kidneys' ability to remove waste products necessitating the use of dialysis machines. Such procedures often disturb sleep, according to a May 2011 review in the "Journal of Clinical Medical Research." Exercise might help hemodialysis patients better cope with these changes. An investigation published in the 2010 volume of the "Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research" tested this hypothesis. The participants walked on a treadmill, cycled on an ergometer and played sports for two months. More than 90 percent of the subjects reported improvements in sleep quality following the introduction of this combined exercise routine.
References
- "Sleep"; Insomnia and the Performance of US Workers; Ronald C. Kessler, et al.; September 2011
- "Progress in Brain Research"; Age-Related Changes in the Cognitive Function of Sleep; E.F. Pace-Schott and R.M. Spencer; 2011
- "Lipids in Health and Disease"; Exercise Training Improves Sleep Pattern and Metabolic Profile in Elderly People in a Time-Dependent Manner; Fabio S. Lira, et al.; July 2011
- "Revue Neurologique"; Restless-Legs Syndrome; Elias Karroum, et al.; August 2008
- "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise"; Effect of Acute and Chronic Physical Exercise on Patients With Periodic Leg Movements; Andrea Maculano Esteves, et al.; January 2009
- "Revista de Investigacion Clinica"; Pharmacological Treatment of Diabetic Neuropathy in the Elderly; A. Mimenza-Alvarado, et al.; July 2010
- "Diabetic Medicine"; Effects of Nordic Walking on Health-Related Quality of Life in Overweight Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Impaired or Normal Glucose Tolerance; T. Fritz, et al.; June 2011
- "Journal of Clinical Medical Research"; Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis or Peritoneal Dialysis Treatment; Paraskevi Theofilou; May 2011
- "Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research"; Effect of Physical Exercise on Physical and Psychological Problems; M. Heidarzadeh, et al.; 2010
