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By Dennis Thompson and Carol Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporters
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WEDNESDAY, March 27, 2024 (HealthDay News) — People who consistently work out two to three times a week are less likely to suffer from insomnia, a new study says.
This type of long-term commitment to exercise also helps people get the recommended amounts of Sleep Each night, according to the findings published March 26 in the journal bmj open,
The research team, led by Icelandic psychologists, concluded, “The paper strongly indicates that consistency in (physical activity) may be an important factor in optimizing sleep duration and reducing insomnia symptoms.” Erla Bjornsdottir And Elin Helga Thorarinsdottir,
For the study, researchers tracked the exercise habits and sleep quality of nearly 4,400 middle-aged adults from 21 hospitals in nine European countries.
Participants were specifically asked how often they exercised to the extent that they became short of breath or sweaty.
The researchers found that people who exercised consistently at least a few times a week – exercising at least an hour a week in total – were those who:
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42% less likely to have difficulty sleeping
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22% less likely to suffer from any symptoms of insomnia
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40% less likely to suffer from more than one insomnia symptom
Symptoms of insomnia include taking a long time to fall asleep, waking up at night, and feeling excessively sleepy during the day.
Researchers found that people who exercised consistently were 55% more likely to get the normal, recommended amount of shut-eye, between 6 and 9 hours at night.
The results showed they were 29% less likely to get short sleep of less than 6 hours, and 52% less likely to get long sleep of 9 hours or more.
Additionally, people who became active during the decade-long study were 21% more likely to become normal sleepers than those who remained inactive.
These results match other studies that have linked regular exercise to good sleep, the researchers said in a journal news release.
Researchers said that people who exercise not only tire their bodies enough to get good sleep, but are also more likely to follow a healthy lifestyle.
Source: bmjNews Release, March 26, 2024
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