Exercise is great for insomnia, but what’s the best exercise for insomnia? A study from Northwestern Medicine highly recommends aerobics.
This study specifically investigated the effects of aerobic activity on middle-aged and older people. They had all been diagnosed with insomnia. This sleeping issue is quite common in these age groups, affecting about half the people.
Aerobic exercise, according to the study results, ranked the highest for effectiveness in treating insomnia, compared to other non-drug approaches.
“Now we have promising results showing aerobic exercise is a simple strategy to help people sleep better and feel more vigorous," says Phyllis Zee, MD, study senior author, and director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Northwestern Medicine.
The study involved 23 inactive people, mostly women. Insomnia is more common in women. The aerobic exercise for this study consisted of two, 20-minute sessions done four times a week, or one, 30 to 40 minute session carried out four times a week.
Either modality was for 16 weeks, and subjects exercised at 75 percent of their maximal heart rate when performing at least two activities. These included the treadmill, stationary bike or walking.
The study also involved a non-exercising group who instead did educational and recreational activities, such as a cooking class, which met up for about 45 minutes per session, 3-5 times a week for 16 weeks.
Both groups received guidelines for promoting good sleep, such as making sure the bedroom was quiet, cool and dark, and making bedtime the same time every night.
So how did the aerobic exercise help insomnia? The subjects reported improved sleep quality; they were reclassified as good sleepers, from poor sleepers. They reported fewer symptoms of depression, less daytime sleepiness and more vigor.
"Exercise is good for metabolism, weight management and cardiovascular health and now it's good for sleep," Zee says.
When setting time aside for aerobic exercise, make sure you are actually doing a cardiovascular activity. This is something that’s sustained and gets your heart rate elevated for the duration, which should be at least for 20 minutes: continuous, fluid motion that elevates heart rate and makes your breathe harder.
The following constitute effective aerobic exercise for insomnia: brisk walking, jogging, an “aerobics” class, step class, cycling, cardio equipment, inline skating, lap swimming and martial arts.
Sources:
sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100915140336.htm
sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105131655.htm
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